Bellenero
by Ovidae
Summary: Hyuuga Hinata gets kicked out of her orphanage with the reckless, charming Uzumaki Naruto to venture through the conflicts of guilds, love and teenage problems. In order to defeat their enemies and become Guild Master and King, Naruto creates a guild with 9 outcasts in an adventure of a lifetime. She becomes Bellenero. ShikaHina-centric. GaaLee.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Uzumaki Hinata's dead cousin sets off a series of events that allow seven useless people in their wartime society to come together to defeat demons. Hinata and her companions set out to become the strongest guild in the empire.

 **Pairings:** Hinata/Shikamaru, Ino/Naruto, Tenten/Sasuke, Lee/Gaara (other pairings to be decided)

 **A/N:** I've been watching a lot of animes where the characters get stuck in a game and have parties.

* * *

 **Bellenero:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

Prologue

* * *

"NARUTO, IT'S BEST IF YOU LEFT THE ORPHANAGE."

Hinata gasped quietly and lunged back into the shadows. She wasn't supposed to hear any of that. She was trying to get water from the downstairs fountain since that one works way better. It also had fresh flowers she, by tradition, had to smell before going to dreamland.

She didn't even mean to come this way. Now she's left with this mess to observe. She couldn't step on the particularly squeaky planks. Her toes were curling up and she trembled.

She wasn't also allowed out of her room after lights out. Sister Hera falls asleep early and both Hinata and Naruto were screwed.

Crabs.

Hinata was in the hallway near the main dining room with all the dark ceilings and bunches of tables. Moonlight coloured the room mysteriously.

Hinata's mouth tasted of sulphur. Her tongue was dry with worry.

Sister Hera was the most intolerant nun who've terrorized the children of the orphan for twenty years. She enforced the rules and laid down the law of the land like a tyrant.

She knew how to punish people and kick them out if she smelled the slightest whiff of trouble.

She's always preyed on the 'blasphemous' children and did brutal and unusual punishments to them. She was the most unforgiving and fear-worthy of the nuns.

Sister Hera just loved picking on Naruto and made it known how much she despised the blonde.

The blonde Naruto requested an orange ensemble of clothing. They were neon and stood out. Even the pyjamas that he wore was brighter than any diamond.

Naruto just had to make waves when others were no more than slight splatters.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. You mustn't make this more enduring and harder than it needs to be." Sister Hera said with a kind but hoarse voice.

Hinata wondered if it was fake emotion or just sympathy. Her heart pounded in her tight chest.

Sister Hera's narrow face, creases and wrinkles around her crow's feet eyes always became heavy with violence. Her pale, faint complexion made her look ghostly.

Sister Hera always had something against Naruto.

He would have to be the one to get firewood when it rained. Clean the whiteboards and tape up the bibles. Kill the rats. Fix the broken tables that gave splinters the size of femur bones. Was it because Naruto wasn't modest, yelled too much and couldn't remember sermons that well because he constantly fell asleep?

He was much of a prankster as well and a hyper boy at that.

Is that why they're trying to get rid of him?

"But- Sister Hera, why would you? I got nowhere else to go." Naruto pled with Hera. "I'm not even eighteen yet. How am I supposed to get on in the world?"

"We taught you everything you need to know, young man," said Sister Hera loudly. "God always gives you the right path-"

"God isn't getting kicked outta home by you!" Naruto shouted. "I don't know anything but the bible. I don't know how to clean or cook or get a job. All I know is how to be bored and follow your stinking orders. Isn't that what you're supposed to know? How to live without this place?"

Sister Hera's voice became sickly sweet, like the taste of almonds on someone's tongue. "Now you must be on your own. You are no longer a baby. The bed you are sleeping in may be needed for a child who has been abandoned."

But almonds are famous for tasting like poison.

"I don't know how to fight but I could take care of the kids. I like 'em. They're my only family." Naruto's voice got more grit.

"If you want to learn to fight, go to the Capital. Join a guild, find a party and gallivant in the dungeons."

Naruto sucked in a breath and he scrambled to his feet. "You're just kicking me out because you don't like me. Isn't that why, Hairless-Sister Hera?"

"You know, as I must be honest, I'll say that I do not like you. You've always been trouble for the sisters, a nightmare to deal with. A demon lies within you and we cannot danger the other, normal children of God. I cannot help or save you, demon."

"I am not a demon! Stop saying that shit!"

Hinata's body tensed up. Lady Morgana, the orphanage Hinata has grown up in, had a special set of children the nuns called demons.

Lady Morgana's orphanage was famous for its high concentration of strange, peculiar children. Some are sent to orphanages due to parents dying but that's the least common reason. Yeah, people are reckless with their lives but not all parents were weak.

Children here have danger-prone tendencies, overly aggressive behaviour, body deformities in their levels of energy, and powers or skills people call curses.

Dubbed by the commoners around the place, the orphanage is called Moron-land. No one expected any of the many kids here to succeed after they get kicked out, much like Naruto is getting booted right now.

Lady Morgana's ex-orphans become beggars. The desperation roughening Naruto's voice understands this path for him.

Hinata's heart arched and got heavy. The beggar's hands were constantly coated in filth, clothes riddled with holes, and the redness of alcohol on their cheeks. Before that fate, all is futile. Why is Naruto still arguing? Why is he getting unfairly kicked out?

"We called the Adventurers to kick you out if you do not leave at this instant." snapped Sister Hera.

"Sister Hera-"

"Would you like to be branded a criminal? Live out the rest of your days as a felon? Be my guest! You are trespassing."

Hinata looked at the situation. She loved this place; the routines, the glass stained windows, the high ceilings and the sense of community. Yeah, she got annoyed but all the younger kids were didn't want to leave because that would hurt. The pain must be ruining Naruto. He didn't want to leave.

"Sister Hera-" Naruto cut himself off. "You can't make me go. You could drag me away but I'll just come back. You could punish me but I'll be back with proud scars. You could starve me but I'll drink water and return. You can't get rid of me, hag."

Sister Hera's nostrils flared. Her arm swung back before Hinata understood what that violent action led to.

The slap was louder than any explosion she's ever heard. His face was red with the outline of a bruising slap. Her fingertips' outlines were clearly sesn. That's how hard she hit him. It was as clear as daytime in the wispy blue of the moonlight.

"Go." Sister Hera said, stuffing her iron hand into her sleeves. "Move on."

"Move on? Where do I go?" Naruto asked harshly.

"The Adventurers will be here to collect you... You only waste my time and use my resources." Sister Hera pulled back for another swing. "Now go-"

Hinata's stubby legs moved before her mind caught up. She was out of the shadows and right in front of Naruto. It was more of a blow to her than to him. Why was Hinata running? She really- why? She was internally screaming on another plane of existence. She's dumb! Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

Hinata was... in between them.

Sister Hera was willowy and taller than Hinata remembered. Her black robes and white cape and folds framing her stern face were suddenly shadowy and menacing. The planks creaked under her and the air was suddenly musty. The chances of escape seemed very, very small. Sister Hera blocked the exit. All exits.

Hinata perilously looked over her shoulder. Naruto was on his knees and Hinata wasn't much taller than him. She gulped. Why did she think she could change anything?

Naruto looked at her, kind of fascinated. Like she was a light in the dark hall he was trudging down. Then he looked sad as if he forced her into a terrible situation.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? What's the meaning of this, young lady?" Sister Hera demanded quietly. She was shocked too.

"Don't hit Naruto-kun! He should stay!" Hinata's small voice trembled. Her knees were bowling balls and it was hard to stay upright.

Naruto's shoulders tensed when Sister Hera's arm flinched. Instead of striking Hinata, Sister Hera settled her wrinkled hands on her hips. Her hooked nose and narrowed eyes sharpened her glare.

The lump in Hinata's throat wouldn't dislodge. She wasn't sure how she could talk. Now she couldn't run, her feet were cinder blocks.

"I thought I heard a pathetic mouse creeping in the hallways," Sister Hera leaned forward. "I never knew it would be you with the Troll eyes."

Hinata unconsciously leaned backwards, to avoid the minty smell of Sister Hera's loud canine huffs.

"Troll Eyes" has been Hinata's nickname since she learned what the other children were referring to. Hinata's eyes were the peculiar shade of purple. People likened her to trolls with the infamous violet in their beady, veined eyes.

Despite how terrified Hinata was, she wouldn't let white horses drag her away from Naruto in this situation.

"Troll, are you going to give me what I am asking for? An answer?" Sister Hera snarled. Her eyes and voice lowered as if she were disappointed... Heartbroken. "I never expected you to act out in this insolent manner. What happened to the politeness I knew coming from you? Trolls are dumb and obedient. Why aren't you?"

Hinata recoiled. "I want to live with him. That's why."

"I cannot take any more of his uncouth behaviour. Don't you feel like you're living with a curse, a loaded gun," Sister Hera's voice became hushed, "a sin?"

"I don't feel that at all. How could you feel that way towards Naruto-kun? He's practically your child!" Hinata protested.

"You raised me and now you're leaving me out in the streets on my ass! Not cool!" added Naruto, rubbing his cheek.

"I never liked you. None of us sisters believed you to be our family much less our child," Sister Hera said so coldly to Naruto, Hinata's heart shivered.

Naruto clenched his fist. "I never liked you but I love everyone else! I'm not eighteen yet, you damn sure can't kick me out."

Sister Hera clicked her tongue, every wrinkle on her face disagreeing with Naruto. "You are sixteen, mister, that is considered an adult in the Capital."

"We aren't in the Capital! Th-this is MY home. This is all I need. They're my blood." Naruto called out, practically growling.

"Tough crackers, Uzumaki Naruto! You're gone and that's final." Sister gave her authority to every syllable of the hurtful, outing words.

Naruto gritted his teeth, glaring furiously while the ferocious lioness Sister Hera met his look. They were two flames trying to burn the other with the stubbornness in every flare of their muscles.

The inside of Hinata's cheek was raw from her biting down and keeping quiet but she couldn't! Not anymore! All the cards were against him and she wasn't allowing him to go down like this.

Not without a fair fight.

"But that isn't fair!" Hinata interjected loudly. Her voice echoed in her skull and in the halls.

"Oh, you! Troll, you let all your chances to repent and go to bed to sleep with the dogs. You are to be punished harshly in the morning," declared Sister Hera.

Well. Now Hianta can't go back without a punishment. What's one more?

Hinata's lip quivered. "I don't c-care about punishment. Me being punished doesn't make you right..." Hinata stomped her foot. "At all!"

Hinata's nullification of Sister Hera's normally terrifying effect enraged the woman. The nun's face was flushed with wrath. She imposed even more daunting things on Hinata.

"You will weed the champs and clean the aisles and get twenty-five good whips! If you cry, we shall commence again. If you move, we shall commence again. If you close your eyes, we shall commence again. If you ever so much as flinch, we shall commence again." Sister Hera grimaced.

Hinata instinctively flinched. She knew the whip all too well. Minor infractions gained that evil thing. The person who got hit needed bandages and herbs for the pain. If the child was really bad, they wouldn't get any healing medicine or bandages.

Bad behaviour was usually nipped at the bud with the threat of the whip or maybe a couple of whips.

Sister Hera was still being a horrible person with her ways.

Hinata wanted to stand up to that. She didn't know the limits of Hera's insults, how hard Hera hit or how fast Hera cut the stem of a growing flower. Sister Hera can't just kick them out like this! Naruto was one of the good guys. It wasn't right!

Sister Hera pounced on that fear Hinata tried to dismiss. "With the willow stick." Sister Hera finished.

Naruto waved his arms, immediately appalled and boisterous. "That isn't fair!" he looked at Hinata. "Twenty doesn't hurt that much but I get punished a hell lot more than everyone. The whip is my FRIEND!" he directed a dark look at Sister Hera- "Twenty is too much. She doesn't know the whip."

The silence was loud and heavy.

Hinata won't be a coward.

Hinata unfurled her limbs and swallowed shakily. "I want fifty!" she whispered.

Sister Hera's brown eyes betrayed no disbelief. "You've never been hit before, child. Why are you doing this?" she asked in an irritated voice. "For him."

"If you can't help and save Naruto-kun, I will." Hinata said firmly.

Naruto stopped protesting in the background. Hinata's throat clenched. She can't believe she said that! She- this is bad news! Bad news!

Sister Hera rubbed her temple. "God will be disappointed in you and your blasphemous friend during Sunday classes."

"Let God hath fury thrust upon both Naruto-kun and I because..."

Hinata looked back at the surprised and anguished Naruto. She stood taller and straightened her spine. Her voice gained more firmness and volume.

More drama and threat coloured her weak voice. "Because... I'm not going to Sunday classes if Naruto-kun won't be there," Hinata said resolutely.

Hinata almost collapsed when the harsh silence left her hanging. Naruto cursed under his breath.

Sister Hera blinked twice, thoroughly transfixed by Hinata's complete change in confidence and behaviour.

The nun sucked on her teeth like she tasted something sour. "Alright. I certainly do not need two rebellious children with impulses that could undo the purity of Lady Morgana." A sweet smile was plastered on her thin beastly face. "Very well, you both are banished from ever setting foot in this orphanage. Effective immediately."

The words tore Hinata to pieces as they took her world apart. She's been... kicked out? For doing the right thing?

Naruto bolted to his feet. "You can't kick her out!"

Sister Hera looked at the pale, immobilized Hinata and turned around. Sister Hera grabbed two swords crossed over the fireplace. The sharpness of the sword worried Hinata.

"Go on, Troll, save Naruto in the big, bad world after you are arrested by the adventurers or killed. Heaven won't take any of you sinners." Sister Hera threw them.

The swords cackled at their feet with dust rising and falling like the last breath. Naruto shielded Hinata. They listened as the metal's metal clanged and sounded like a church bell.

It was ominous, a sign of the bad to come. Hinata's never held a sword. She never wanted to kill. Never.

The swords were musty and cracked, barely able to perform. Hinata hoped they never would make use of it.

"Heaven wouldn't ever take a hag like you, either." Naruto sneered. "When I become king, you will go to hell, Sister Hera. If you don't fall in, I will push you down there."

Sister Hera smirked. "My Adventurers will hunt you down and they will send you to jail where you will rot."

Naruto glared at the swords she ever so graciously offered. Hinata picked one up. They weren't light and Naruto grabbed one. He even had trouble with the weights.

Hinata tugged at the orange cuffs of the rigid man. His eyes glowed a fearsome yellow. It was a frightening colour... unsettling and loud with killing and poisonous intent.

"This isn't over," Naruto said, every word infused in tension.

"Where shall the demon and the troll end up?" Sister Hera chuckled. "O where, o where, o where?"

Her laughs were more sinister than any monster, threat or promise of death. They had to run from the Adventurers. They could seriously do some damage to this building if they can't get their target, which was them.

Adventurers were aggressive like hungry, selfish creatures. They are paid to do missions and when their missions are carried out to a degree of satisfaction, they receive their promised amount.

If they do their mission with the swiftness or brutality that their payer ordered, they will receive extra and be rewarded.

In this cracked up world, Adventurers will do anything and not care about those who get trampled or fall in the process. If both Hinata and Naruto were targets, they will do anything to see to it that they get paid.

Hinata tugged Naruto's sleeve. "Let's go."

Naruto finally obliged as he ripped his venom glare away from their older feminine torturer. "Yeah," he said hoarsely. He blinked away any emotion.

Hinata did the same. She couldn't... drown in the memories. Not how they laughed and sang all the time. How they picked apples and on the really dry, humid days- the church smells of apples and candy molasses. Hinata got to help in the kitchen and make the best chicken or bread. How they slept on each other when it was cold. If had a nightmare, they would all cuddle and do rituals until those bad spirits are sent away.

She'll miss it.

Naruto breathed and was calm. Certain. Hinata was falling apart. She's trying not to cry when this suffocated her.

She was breathing through his lungs, to calm down. She chose this. She chose to help him. She couldn't think straight.

He's so strong; breathing for two.

He's so strong while she led him through the blackness. Being a lamp didn't burn too much.

Bustling through the dark wooden halls as their makeshift family slept was an eerie thing. She was quite slow out of the door. They kindly ran out of the only home they've ever known, their hearts, feet and eyes aching.

 _Aching._

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-End Prologue-

 **A/N-** Soooo. What'd you think? I am working out the kinks. And NaruHina will be platonic. More like brother and sister. Shikamaru (Hinata's main love interest) will come in with his POV every third chapter. Will be long or short. Haven't decided...


	2. Chapter One: Lung Capacity

**Bellenero** **:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 1-  
Lung Capacity

* * *

HINATA AND NARUTO WERE IN THE BUSHES NEAR THE WELL.

The courtyard always had a tall line of birch trees and vine-filled bushes. It hid them.

In this cocoon of green, Hinata was worried that the sparseness of the leaves would hint at their presence. It smelled like wet earth and the moon was too bright.

The stars blinked at them, trying to send a message. Communicating danger.

Everyone was getting ready for bed right now. The candles were being blown out. The food storage got locked up ten minutes before 9:30 or when the keys were dropped in Sister Hera's room.

If Hinata and Naruto could get into her fortress and steal the keys or steal before the doors get locked, they have two windows of time.

The last time Hinata saw the clock, it was 9:01. They've been here for five minutes, stewing in the risks while Hinata assessed the situation at hand. Naruto was more emotional than analytical.

Hinata's clothes were in her room. Her toes dug into the dirt and mulch, pressing into the creases of her skin. Her shoes were in there too. Hinata was barefoot. Her nightgown was sheer and up to her upper thighs. Naruto was like a neon orange pumpkin. He was also barefoot.

They didn't have food, water, or clothes but they had the glinting swords that were basically an insult Sister Hera gave to them.

Their situation was far from ideal. Naruto was spitting rage about Hera. He was too loud! So loud.

In between being angry about Sister Hera, Naruto went on and went on about fighting the Adventurers. Hinata's sure Naruto got into street fights and scuffles without consequences. He's never fought someone with bloodlust, actual armour and a sharpened sword.

That's why Naruto was so excited. An acidic taste flooded Hinata's mouth. He treated this as an opportunity to get better at fighting.

This wasn't a war on the Adventurers right now. It was a war on nature and all of her weapons. They needed to survive. They couldn't even think about fighting until they got shoes.

Most Adventurers went to Dungeons. Dungeons were her biggest nightmare. The sisters of the orphanage always used getting sent into the Dungeons as a threat.

"Eat your vegetables or the Dungeon waits for you."

"Don't fight or would you like to fight in the Dungeon?"

"For the bad munchkins who don't sleep on time, you'll go to the Dungeon. A dragon shall eat you!"

Threats of going to the Dungeon were used as child fear-tactics and the butt of jokes. However, the Dungeon was a scary place where Adventurers go to kill monsters for money. The world wasn't a pretty place and that ugliness took the form of monsters.

Those Adventurers risked their lives to enter the dwellings of those who are evil and willing to drink their blood. Adventurers are just monsters and men of pride who like to gain honour and valour from doing such a thing. She couldn't imagine. Naruto wanted to fight those maniacs.

Why?

Why?

WHY?

Naruto nudged her cut up arm. So much for a thin, thin strap nightshirt... Staying in these bushes made her get small, long cuts from the sharp branches slicing her face and delicate skin. She's still riding high from the adrenaline that she didn't notice the pain.

Naruto blew a leaf that kept on sticking to the edge of his mouth. "They're people of the church, why do they get to kick us out?" Naruto grumbled.

Hinata looked at her former home. They were poor at times. Hinata didn't particularly know why Sister Hera ran such a tight ship. Maybe poor people are just... stressed. Just being alive meant Hinata and Naruto were financial strains.

"They're not rude, just poor." Hinata sighed.

"Poor people don't have to be rude. How're we going to get the money to survive?"

"People grovel and beg but I don't... recommend that." Hinata tilted her head. Would they have to beg?

"What are we doin' here, Hinata?" Naruto asked, scanning the bushes.

Hinata looked at him. Did he not understand the magnitude of badness in this situation? They are going to starve in a matter of days.

Her vaping breath escaped as a small hiss. "I have to sneak back in to get our stuff from the eastern corridor," she said slowly.

She was repeating the plan to herself. This was about the hundredth time she's gone over it. Yeah, that plan might work. It might.

She was fast when it mattered and Naruto's room must have his clothes splayed open. She could just put everything in a potato sack from the laundry room at the end of the hall. She could steal sheets and stuff. She could grab a lamp, clothing and other valuables that they could sell, right?

Naruto blinked. "Eastern corridor? What about the fridge? What 'bout me, dattebayo?" he cried out.

Hinata covered his mouth. "You have to be quiet. You have to get to the fridge. You're faster and you could carry more food. Cans, vitamin supplements, packaged things and dried meat."

Naruto rolled his eyes after huffing. Hinata removed her warm hand and placed it on her lap.

"Okay. Okay." he agreed with a nervous grin. "That's all?"

"Get containers but don't fill them with water. There are lots of streams nearby. If you fill them, it'll be harder to run." Hinata thought for a moment. "Our meeting place is Paradise Rock, okay?"

Paradise Rock was just near the main road. Naruto knew where it was. None of the nuns knew where it was since it's a secret hangout kids go to.

"Let's figure the rest out when we get to Forge Village in about five days of walking," Hinata whispered.

"Huh? It only takes three!"

Hinata sighed. "With the hiding, dodging and holding all those things, it'll take five days if we walk during the daytime."

He scratched his head. "I don't wanna do that."

Hinata grit her teeth. "Me neither."

"The kitchen door gets locked at 9:20, in thirteen minutes. If you aren't able to get anything 'cause the door is locked, I'll get the keys from the second floor and meet you there," Hinata nodded, giving him the sword. "Take the sword, use it for intimidation and don't cut anyone down who tries to stop you."

Naruto eyed the hunk of metal as he put it at his feet. The sword was long and it's corn-coloured handle reminded her of gold.

"If you kill someone and we both get caught, you will be executed for murder. Besides, it's wrong to raise a hand against a comrade or... another soul." she added.

"Oh. Yeah..." Naruto's eyes narrowed, mischief ripe in the darker mist of his eyes. "Can I steal all the ramen?"

Why would ramen be on the top of important things to acquire?

He got sheepish and rolled on his knees, scratching the back of his neck. "Sister Ino snuck me some ramen from the village and it tasted sooo good! The entire stock is in the back, I need it."

Sister Ino stealing was indeed a shock. Sister Ino was the perfect daughter of Sister Hera. Hinata and Ino were the same age but Sister Ino has sworn herself to purity, the bible and the church. Sister took care of the younger kids and got to boss people around. She had a reputation and was Sister Hera's only daughter.

"Need? Naruto-kun... I don't know if you need it..."

"Nothing compares! It's the taste of perfection!"

Hinata waved her hands, to calm him down. "Soba noodles aren't terrible. I like them! You could try them... They'll have to do in the meantime."

"I can't live with second best!" he let out an agonized cry and clapped his hands together. "Please!"

He was begging her? For ramen?

"Sister Ino can't bring me any more. We're outta here anyway! Why not take it all for what they have and give Sister Hera a taste of her medicine?"

Sister Ino's nasty temper was something to fear. She was a good church girl as far as it went. So, hearing that she stole was weird and that she went against her morals to steal for Naruto was even weirder.

Sister Ino had the freedom and a lot of it. She was permitted to go into the village and get goods. She never did get luxuries... or did she always?

Anyway, she got Naruto addicted to ramen!

"Ramen isn't nutritional." Hinata blinked.

Naruto cleared his throat. He sat up, tall and dignified. He had a speech prepared... "Actually-"

Hinata suddenly heard a crack in the woods.

Naruto watched her frightened reaction.

She clutched his pyjama sleeve. "They're here."

Naruto listened and shook his head. "Hinata-"

"Shhh."

"Hina-"

"Naruto-"

"Hi-"

"Naruto-kun, someone's coming, please be quiet!" Hinata whispered harshly.

"Don't be so rattled- it's only the wind and trees." he shifted and lifted his foot. "An' that someone was me. Sorry."

He stepped on a twig? How could he be so... careless? She believed that they were within an inch of their lives. She gave him an incredulous look.

Naruto laughed a bit. "What? Oi. Don't be worried, dattebayo! I'm here."

That somehow didn't make her feel much better. Hinata listened for a while longer. All she heard were the blades of grass dancing in the dry air, night creatures laughing- hunting and Naruto's selective chuckles.

They were safe for the time being. Thank God.

Naruto looked at her for a long time. His gaze was constant like the moon. He never blinked then he scratched his head. His voice got low and stoic. "Hi-chan..."

"Hi-chan?" Hinata blushed. A nickname? This one was specific and dare she say... cute? Why... would he... Wow.

Naruto's face brightened up, despite their circumstance. "Hi-na-ta is too long an' we gotta be quiet, right? Why are you lookin' at me like that?" Naruto's sky-blue gaze came closer as he leaned forward. "I ain't no ghost."

Hinata tipped her gaze in the opposite direction. "I just... never hear my name anymore," Hinata admitted.

She looked back.

"Really?" Naruto winced, straightening his spine. "People use my name all the time! They always yell."

"They talk to you- that's why they use your name. I'm quiet and people call me..." she looked away, annoyed and choked up by that one name. "Troll."

"Kids can be cruel, eh?" he peered at the white moon through the leaves. "Those brats make ya want to disappear and never come back."

A dry understanding settled over them. He's also had bad experiences.

Hinata didn't know what he'd find by looking at the moon so she just played with a coincidentally soft, dark green leaf she found. Hinata's never accepted it and being called Troll was dehumanizing.

She... hated it. She hated the ostracism and the way some kids excluded her when she was younger.

The teens her age were the cruel ones... She got along with the smaller kids but those who were over 16, the generation she was raised up with, would never see her as anything more than a monster.

Her eyes... they were a curse, that was her ticket into Lady Morgana. Her parents didn't want such a dumb-looking girl when boys were so precious in that era. She... Just looked inferior and her eyes led everyone thinking she was blind or had some horrible disease.

Did she? Did she really? She never knew.

Naruto sucked in an immense breath. "They, uh, called me demon cause I got this thing inside of me, tryin' to mess with me. It comes out and I just gotta wreck everything. Sister Hera made me bathe in vinegar and holy water just so my demon would give up. He's a part of me. How would he give up?" Naruto asked, fist curled and expression disappointed. "Ero-sennin says it's fine but... he put a tattoo on me... A seal. The sisters haven't liked me since."

"Ero-sennin?" Hinata questioned lightly.

"Uncle Jiraiya. He's just a pervert. He writes all these books that sell real good but they're," he blushed a bit, "intense."

Hinata tilted her head and poked his arm, teasing. "Have you read these intense books?"

"Wha- pfft, NO! Why would I, read one of 'em?" he asked, burning brightly.

Hinata giggled lightly then that faded.

Uncle Jiraiya is one the people who seldom visit Lady Morgana. Family members don't come and relatives are too far or uncaring to actually reach the fenced orphanage.

People were confused and jealous of Naruto. He's the villain of the orphan yet he got elaborate gifts and visits from a fairly respected man in the government.

Hinata hasn't gotten visited but she hoped.

Jiraiya was a pervy man. Hinata only knew he was a perv after bumping into him a while back like three months ago. She was in a forest, doing some laundry in a change of scenery. She fell into water and she hadn't gotten a chance to dry off. He was walking back and he just happened to not be looking where he was going.

Some fifty sketches of naked women fell around them, facing up. Jiraiya almost died from blood loss when Sister Hera found him and when he saw Hinata like that.

Uncle Jiraiya visits as a father figure. He takes Naruto out into the city and they did what men did when liberated.

Whenever Uncle Jiraiya was nearby, Naruto got free passes to be gone for three to five days at a time. He's always been so happy after being with his uncle. Sadly, Jiraiya hasn't visited in a long time.

"Because of... the seal? When was the last time he came by?" asked Hinata, her tone feather light. She didn't want to trigger any unwanted surface hurt feelings.

He gave a vacant stare. "Two years and a couple months. It's September, right?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

Jiraiya was in the area three months ago, why didn't he visit Naruto?

"Yeah, the old sister bats refused to let him see me. He left me in the dust too. They can't have two demons in the church at the same time. It's a circle of hate. No love, no peace- just hate. That's what Ero-Sennin and I are tryin' to chase away!"

Naruto hasn't been as happy and just acted out, in protest of that all. No wonder he misbehaves. It's revenge for the time he lost with Jiraiya.

"They don't go easy on the bad nicknames, don't they?" joked Naruto with a large grin.

Hinata was shell shocked that he could joke and be positive. He was an enigma.

Hinata looked down. "The quiet troll... That's what they'd call me. Not the friendly one, not the kind one but the quiet, ugly troll."

"If you told me who said it, I woulda beat them up."

Hinata shrugged a bit.

"C' mon... Quiet ones help others. Others don't know when to shut their mouths. Everyone, I thought I knew deserted my fight... except for you and you're grabbing your bags to go with me," he let a barking laugh fill the night. "We don't talk, you don't get in trouble and you... You almost got fifty whip lashes 'cause of me..." he scanned the field. "Now all these Adventurers are chasin' us and we're barefoot... You can't ever go back. Hi-chan, why did you help me?"

Now that the tangible question was in the air, Hinata didn't have a sure-fire answer. It was just an instinct to help him and at least put cuffs on Sister Hera.

She kind of sighed every time she saw him get abused or yelled at. She didn't feel superior like the other kids felt. The other kids would desperately listen in and harshly laugh at his physical punishments. She didn't feel lucky that she avoided getting struck.

She was guilty and helpless. She didn't want to listen to the rules if it meant that the nuns were allowed to put the kids down. Kick them out at will in their small world of ignorance.

In their world, she was a troll and he was a demon. This world wasn't warm or dignified towards them, the outcasts. People don't care what their hearts were for and she was out of faith.

She couldn't exactly put that into words.

She tried to articulate a small part, though. "It. It just wasn't right to let them do that to you. Even though it's because they need fewer m-mouths to feed. The younger... kids need more but- but... they couldn't say all that mean stuff. I hate when they call us curse-kids. Like, it's abuse. You don't deser-"

Naruto grinned then patted her head, cutting off her words. "Hi-chan, you're a friend of the future King. When I get a huge house with servants and power and money and food, I'll surely give you half."

He patted her head twice more. His fingers tangled in her bangs until he pulled away. Future king?

"Half? Naruto-kun, I, uh, don't want half of that. If you've gotten that far, then, I mean, you should have it."

She looked into his beguile, speculative eyes. He's serious.

"Angels will, Sister Hera, that hag, will grovel and I'll make sure that everyone in the orphanage gets a home or if they live that long in this kingdom."

"If we do." Hinata echoed.

"Pfft. Of course, we will, Hi-chan. Since you saved me back then... I will save you from now on." he held up his pinkie. "I promise! Promise me too!"

Hinata's cheeks reddened. "Huh?"

"I won't go anywhere. Why're you red?" Naruto leaned in close. Their noses were inches apart.

Why... would he say things like that with such a straight face? I won't ever leave you, I will save you from now on, who does that? Her heart beat like the rain.

Could he actually become... the king? The kings have always been Uchiha. Her hands became fizzy and she didn't know how to take his claims. King...

They're peasants without shoes or clothes yet he wanted to rule the whole country, be the strongest warrior with great political minds amongst him?

"Why... Why do you want to become King?" Hinata asked.

"You and I both know we come from a nothing village, with nothing names and nothing swords. I want to be someone. I want to show that demons are people and they could change this country. I'll fix up the problems and maybe end the circle of hate." he picked up his pinkie. "Maybe I'll save the whole world. Not just you."

Hinata looked at his profound words. How did she save such a naive man? Was he really naive? Was he actually? He had a dream that hasn't been put out by anyone. Dreams... that were worth fighting for. If he could make it work, then maybe standing with him wasn't such a bad thing.

"Will you help me?" he looked at her, crookedly with spikes of yellow hair hanging. His cheeks were kind of pink and he rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. "You can walk through hell with me. I'll learn how to fight an'... I can't do anything but make ramen and pull pranks. You gotta help me with everything else. I can fight-"

"We can fight." She held up her pinkie. "We both can fight now..."

Naruto's grin and triumph could have fooled the birds that it was morning. Clouds should've parted because he was the sun in that moment.

"Yosh! We're friends! If I protect you and you protect me, we'll fight forever!" Naruto cheered in a whisper.

He pumped his fist and looked at her, holding his tanned fist for her.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"Fist bump," he said excitedly. He knocked his fists together. "That's what Jiraiya called it. Friends do that when they agree or they've done something cool. Agreeing to help me become king is cool. So, fist bump."

She followed his logic but it didn't make sense to do that.

Naruto held out his fist. "Fist bump."

She tentatively brushed knuckles with him. "Like that?"

He wasn't satisfied. He guided their fists together. The grooves didn't align because she was so much tinier but Naruto seemed content.

Then, the broad leaves were parted.

Someone stuck their head through. Naruto shoved Hinata behind him. "Huh? Sister Ino?" Naruto jumped.

His action vibrated through her.

Hinata gasped, peeking over the shoulder of Naruto. Sister Ino? Why... would Sister Ino be there?

"Sister Ino- I don't want to fight you but what are you doing here?" Naruto asked threateningly.

Hinata and Sister Ino made eye contact.

Sister Ino was so... perfect- that's all Hinata could say. She was tall but not too tall. She had white skin that was tanned enough. It was natural-looking with a glow. Her lips were the shape of cherries. She was beautiful with the bluest eyes that could rival aquamarines. The colour was more precious than pearls themselves.

Sister Ino's eyes were wide. Parts of her incensed reaction was hidden by the foliage of the leaves.

Naruto's muscles stiffened.

He checked Ino's hands. Every slight of her hand made him flinch.

Hinata didn't know why he was so on edge around Sister Ino. Was... he scared of her and not of the murdering Adventurers?

That was so strange.

Well, considering all, Sister Ino could report to her mother. She was dangerous. More dangerous than any blade or insult. A thorn twisted in Hinata's side. Naruto was hostile and alert, as he realized this too.

"I heard the chatter. Why are you both in the bushes?" Sister Ino hissed.

Her black robes and maidenhair cloth wrap-around hid her locks. She looked like a curtain of fabric as it all swallowed her up. Even with that, her face was pretty...

"Why were you outside in the courtyard at this hour?" Naruto retorted, directing the suspicion towards her.

Naruto was surprisingly good at deciding which situations he would be serious for. The good-natured, laughing, ramen-pleading Naruto was all but gone in the face of this defensive, bantering and aggressive one. He had an off switch.

Sister Ino's mouth opened like a gaping fish out of water then she put her hands on her hips. "That's none of your business!"

Naruto made a displeased snort. "Then whatever too! Why do you care about what we're doing?"

"I thought I saw something in the bushes. Your obnoxious orange pyjamas caught my eye. It's too bright."

"I like my awesome pyjamas thank you very much." Naruto grimaced.

Sister Ino closed her eyes in annoyance. "Awesome? They could hardly be described as that... Your clothes are rags because of all the damages you... In the bushes..." she folded her arms in front of her.

Sister Ino suddenly faltered off and her eyes sprung open.

Hinata felt the first breezes of a storm.

Sister Ino looked between Naruto and Hinata. Her clueless expression became puffy and red. "Are... you two doing indecent acts in the bushes?!" she demanded.

"No!" Hinata whispered. She... Is that what Ino was thinking?!

He's a friend, a team member. A loud and energetic team member. She thinks he has a budding obsession with combat and ramen noodles.

"With the situation, the ground you guys were founded- it's easy to assume you guys have defiled each other!" Sister Ino pointed between the two.

"We weren't doing anything!" Hinata's cheeks burned. Naruto growled lowly like some kind of dog.

Sister Ino clucked her tongue. "Yeah right. Naruto- you are a pig! All men are pigs!"

"I am not a pig!"

"As if!" Ino snapped back.

"I am not a pig! Your name means hog! The only pig here is you!" he insisted.

Sister Ino's mouth fell open again and her brain short-circuited because of his comment. She balled her fists and stomped her foot. They glared at each other.

Hinata didn't know why there was so much tension between them. Usually, nuns would punish those who they found breaking the rules. Sister Ino has done nothing of the sort.

"Disgusting, you are," Sister Ino hissed.

Sister Ino and Naruto… They were rough, different battalions going to war but Sister Ino always fell back to being around Naruto. Like a puppy. They both let it all go, getting dysfunctional and hating each other.

"Disgusting? C'mon, Naruto isn't disgusting." Hinata pleaded. "How about we not fight?"

Sister Ino's darkening scorn landed on Hinata. "How dare you defend his honour as a girlfriend would? Must you wound me more?"

He's like Hinata's brother. Orphans are siblings and siblings kissing in the bushes reminds her of disgusting, disgusting nightmares. Why was Sister Ino so angry anyway? How would she get wounded?

It wasn't a good idea to piss off a potential witness and make Sister Ino report them out of spite. Hinata's brain was shaken up and Sister Ino couldn't stop bickering with Naruto. Hinata didn't know how to remedy this.

The Adventurers were coming and they were wasting time!

"I can't even look at you," Sister Ino turned around and fumed, facing the orphanage's church-like outline.

The foliage that was previously pushed aside to make a window for Sister Ino sprung back into place. The barrier made Naruto finally loosen his joints and stop snarling.

"Such a bitch," Naruto grumbled.

Hinata sighed and patted him on the back. He sighed.

"What was that?" Sister Ino demanded.

Naruto almost sprung to his knees, ready and prepared for round two. Hinata pulled at his waist and shoved him down. They were low kneeling, Naruto throwing inaudible questions in specific glances. He was mad at Hinata for restraining him.

Another twig snapped. The sound was more far off and muffled.

It echoed in her brain.

Hinata and Naruto caught each other's gaze. Panic crashed through every wave in his blue eyes. She searched his expression.

Naruto lifted his foot. "It wasn't me," he whispered, a decibel over the astute silence.

It wasn't him this time. Hinata's guts fell into the dirt. Sister Ino's steps are impossibly quiet and... And oh God! It was... the Adventurers.

They kept on cracking the twigs as if they were running. And coming CLOSER! To arrest Naruto and Hinata. Oh God!

"Take off your pyjama shirt. Take it off!" Hinata whispered, clawing at the silk sleeves.

He instinctively held his pyjamas closer, shrinking into the fabric. "Why? No!"

"It's too noticeable and flashy. They'll see it!"

Naruto hesitated. "It's a gift from Uncle Jiraiya. It came in the mail two days ago. I just got it..."

"Naruto-kun, please! The gift may survive but we won't."

The Adventurers' steps got closer. Naruto clenched his hem and looked at her with imploring eyes.

She begged, "I'll go through hell to get you one hundred of these."

Hinata's terror throbbed within her every muscle like a second heartbeat, spasming her judgement.

The shirt came off and Hinata made a mental note of where it was. She felt awful.

The Adventurers' humorous laughs curdled her blood as they casually strolled by. They were war machines. The mechanisms of their gear and weapons clinked together as their spoked boots chewed up the ground beneath them.

"Sorry there little lady, it was just us- Iruka and Tenzou," A deep tenor voice soothed Sister Ino and scared Hinata out of her wits.

Sister Ino shifted, her voice extra kind and high. "Oh, dear me, I was taking a stroll to remember my sermons for tomorrow. The little ones wanted me to sing a hymn specially made to enrich their profound love for the Almighty one," she said lightly.

The Adventurers paused for a moment, absorbing her words.

"She's like a whole other person when kind-" Naruto whispered.

Hinata elbowed him. His abs were solid. He still glared at where Sister Ino supposedly was.

"Why are you out here?" Iruka, the one with the more easy-going, kind voice said.

"I just love the peace and quiet out here. Had I not come here, the children would hear their surprise." Sister Ino dropped a sweet laugh or two.

It was like hard candy was in Sister Ino's veins. That's how delightful she sounded. Hinata was equally just as shocked as Naruto was insulted.

"Uh- uh," one of the men said, all flustered and dazed. Probably Iruka.

Hinata suddenly understood that Sister Ino was flirting with them with some type of seduction... It was working.

The other man wasn't as convinced. "Miss," Tenzou cleared his throat. "We have business to attend to. Iruka will surely visit if there is a bible that needs to read after unholy acts."

"Te-Tenzou!" Iruka coughed wildly.

"Oh," Sister Ino hummed. "You will visit me once more?"

Iruka stopped coughing after pounding on his chest. "Uh- and... do what?"

"To discuss God, of course. I am a lady of the church," Sister Ino added after a beat.

Iruka swallowed thickly. "Al... Alright."

Tenzou clapped Iruka on the back. "You bite into the apple of Eden and still got the seeds, ha." he chuckled. "You are not Sister Hera as Sister Hera called in two days ago."

"Like mother like daughter-" Naruto grumbled.

Hinata sent him a wary look. Just how long has Sister Hera been planning to kick Naruto out?

"Sister Hera called us here to dissolve tomfoolery and arrest a blonde kid with orange pyjamas and a small girl with short blue hair and purple eyes."

"Purple eyes? Like a troll?" Iruka asked his partner.

"Yep. Miss, you seen 'em? We're trying to do our job."

"My mother was looking for those two?" Sister Ino asked, alarmed and suddenly frightened. "Have they done evil?"

"Yeah. Quite a lot," Tenzou grunted.

"They'll hurt the other kids!" Sister Ino gasped. "That is why they were walking towards the forest. I should have stopped them."

"Why didn't you?" Tenzou questioned harshly.

"Kids go in that direction to go to the outhouse. It's the tradition to let them be." Sister Ino paused. "Tell me, misters, are they dangerous? Will you stop them?"

"They're just a couple of kids. Don't worry your pretty little head, you'll be fine." Iruka nodded eagerly. "We'll arrest them."

Sister Ino gave an exaggerated breath to compose herself. "Get to it! They went that way."

They nodded and walked away, picking up to a jog when Ino screamed to hurry.

Sister Ino took a moment then opened the leaves up. Her face popped in. "You guys are so dead." hissed Sister Ino.

Sister Ino ran forward, away from the bushes and into the orphanage.

Hinata was ultimately confused. Sister Ino helped them by giving the wrong directions and stalled for them by figuring out the situation.

Why the heck did she say that they were so dead?

"Hi-chan, what did she mean by that?" Naruto paled.

"We have to go, now!" Hinata ordered. "You only have five minutes to get everything that you can. The bags are in the top cupboard to the left, along with the medicine we'll need, alright? Avoid all combat and run if the Adventurers find you. You can't afford lost blood."

Naruto mentally memorized all the instructions. She mentally prepared herself. She will get Naruto's clothes first then her own then she will steal silverware and jewelry. Yeah.

Hinata launched forward. She burst out of the bush only to be pulled back.

Naruto stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "I will see you again."

It wasn't a question, no question slanted his voice because it was a certainty. His expression was stone serious. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

He jostled her wrist. "Right?" he asked forcefully.

Hinata could only stare at the sincerity of his worried eyes. He was terrified of loss and would drown in guilt if anything happened to her.

She found someone to help and she still felt like she owed him something. Maybe this is repentance. If she couldn't stay with the church, she could stay with Naruto. She could follow him and help him get that dream because... she's never known a dream herself.

She picked up her sword and nodded. Once. Twice. Until she believed it. "You will. Again and again," promised Hinata.

Hinata nodded. He finally got out of the bushes to stand beside her. She helped him stand upright.

She brushed the dirt off of his knuckles. She can't refuse this. He's left in the dust unless she went with him.

They're risking it all right now.

He cast one last glance behind him.

He looked tough and strong but oh so crippled by self-doubt. Danger tapped dance with every running thought.

It exhausted her. She removed his increasingly tight grip. She wasn't sure if it was the truth but she gave him the handles of his blade.

"Again and again?" Naruto repeated to himself.

Hinata nodded. "You're dying for action, yeah? Dreams you have to touch. The new king can't be stifled by something like this, no. Not at all."

He grinned. "Let's get rid of those guns for hire."

Hinata laughed and held her own sword. It was their blood and lifeline at the moment. He tapped her sword with his.

There was no goodbye, no irony, no last looks. They ran in opposite directions without a second glance. They had to make it. They surely had to make it.

* * *

As Hinata went up the stairs, she found a stray basket with large sleeping bags and sheets.

She stuffed things she found into a large sheet and avoided the mobs of nuns by lurking in the copious shadows.

Every minute that passed raised questions about Naruto. Did he get medicine, did he get the ramen? Meat is more important than ramen. She secretly prayed that they would have something to eat.

She had to focus to blink away all emotions and doubts. All of this was too fast. She's swiping important documents and silverware- one or two gold statues as well.

She hasn't made it to Naruto's room yet. She had to get his shoes!

The copper tang of blood could be tasted because she ran too hard. Her muscles ached and her bangs were too long. Long snakes hanging in front of her eyes.

The corridors were much larger and bigger than she remembered. Her long strolls down these familiar places filled her with peace.

Now she's getting splinters from the wooden planks. The scent of bergamot stung her raw throat. She's a fugitive.

Hinata looked over her shoulder. The coast is clear-

She spoke too soon and collided with someone. Her shoulder made an impact with a fleshy cheekbone. A net of pain caught her in its stringy ties.

Hinata's sure grip on her bag loosened. All the things she's collected burst and flew all over the hallway. Hinata bounced back and heard a familiar annoyed groan. It vibrated through the silence.

"And just when I help, this is how I get repaid? A bruise on my cheek?" complained Sister Ino.

Hinata sat up and scrambled to sweep everything into her makeshift bag. Everything's everywhere! Dang it!

Hinata frantically packed everything up, surprised that Sister Ino handed her a couple of things. She's helping Hinata escape.

Then she noticed that Sister Ino wasn't covering her head. She was in a robe comparable to a frumpy couch but she wasn't completely modest. She had long, flowing blonde hair and a ring on. The glow was comparable to rays of sunlight.

Sister Ino kept on helping and helping. Hinata was confused and dangerously on edge.

Hinata gave her a dark look. "You shouldn't help me get caught..."

Sister Ino tried yanking the bag back. "I'm helping you and the idiot!"

Hinata's eyes widened briefly. "You are? Why?" demanded Hinata.

"I don't want to live my life as a simple nun! I don't want this to be the biggest what if... I am trapped and I- I don't want Naruto to get hurt." Sister Ino rubbed her arms.

"What do you care about us?" Hinata got up.

"A lot. I helped raise you guys and there's no other chance to run. I got money from the safe so we'll be able to have something in the long run." Sister Ino stepped back and gestured wildly. "There it all is."

Hinata looked behind Sister Ino and sure enough, there were two sacks filled to the brim with stuff and money. Sister Ino really wanted to go with them. Hinata wasn't sure if she wanted Sister Ino to go with them.

"What did you pack?" Hinata asked insecurely. Sister Ino's curving all these fine lines of rules set by her mother!

"It's from Naruto's room. I got all the dumb stuff. All of it in orange and- and I went to your room too. I got your shoes. Both of you." Sister Ino clapped her hands together.

"Nothing for yourself?" Hinata asked inquisitively.

"All my clothes are huge and ugly. We could share clothes!"

Hinata hesitated. "Huh?"

"We're the same size! I don't need anything but freedom."

Hinata paused. "Your mother-"

Sister Hera would come for Hinata with the sun's fury. If Sister Hera's daughter got taken by one of the vengeful, escaped convicts she angered, Hinata and Naruto would take the grunt of death. Taking Sister Ino would just make living freely even more dangerous because Sister Ino's simple presence was a threat to their overall existence.

Sister Ino steeled herself. "It's fine. She'll forgive me." she dismissed immediately.

Sister Hera won't forgive Hinata or Naruto.

Sister Ino fell to her knees and pled with Hinata. "Please take me with you! I've never been to the Capital! I can't live like this! You don't wear my chains- I need to leave this all behind and- and I'll cook, clean and do whatever you want."

She can't bring Sister Ino! The risks are too grand. Hinata's wasting time just standing here reasoning with Sister Ino. Time is running out.

Hinata watched the teenage girl on her knees, her golden hair spilling all around her. Hinata has to get to the Paradise Rock.

A feeling passed through her, numbing and cold. They can't save everyone. It made her guts ice water and her heart cold but... It was the truth.

Hinata picked up her sword and composed herself. She bit her lip to forgive herself for her choice. "I-I'm sorry... Maybe next time-"

"There is no next time. I am to inherit this hunk of land and you guys get to leave when you're eighteen. I can't ever go." Sister Ino's words were broken with a sob.

Something about that made Hinata feel guilt… Hinata was confronted with such a complicated situation. The weight of the world and these two lives sat on her shoulders.

Taking Sister Ino meant that there was going to be a hunt for Hinata and Naruto then one for the orphanage chief's daughter. It would look like a kidnapping.

Taking Sister Ino also meant that they'd get all that cash, the packed bags of Naruto's stuff and shoes. Sister Ino also got valuables that were previously locked up. Sister Ino also was the only one between Naruto and Hinata who knew how to cook and clean.

Sister Ino is miserable here. Damned to this life. The girl's sobs wracked her frame as Hinata walked on. No one can thrive in sadness.

Hinata stopped walking towards the bags of money and clothes with the blame getting worse.

"What's the fastest route to Forge Village?" Hinata asked softly, turning to look at the young woman.

Sister Ino didn't bother lifting her head. She looked like a pile of black fabric and sorrows while sitting there, curled up in misery.

"Two days if we use my shortcut," responded Sister Ino.

Hinata would only go off of general knowledge if they were to go. Naruto wasn't very good with direction. He'd go into the woods and not come back, missing dinner since he got lost too often.

And Sister Ino could help carry stuff. Hinata couldn't save everyone... but she could start with just one. That's the best thing to do; to start.

"There are only two sleeping bags," Hinata whispered.

Hinata knew it was a bad decision but they all made mistakes, so maybe this wasn't so bad.

Sister Ino looked up. "Huh?" she asked nasally.

"There are only two sleeping bags. Two rolls of toilet paper, three toothbrushes and I forgot to find soap. Naruto-kun also wants us to fight the Adventurers and go to the Capital to become king," Hinata whispered, clearing her throat. "Can you help us with that?"

Sister Ino winced. "King? He wants to be king? He's a deadlast, how could he become king?"

Sister Ino was... unconsciously rude to Naruto. Hinata'll have to examine that later on. "Uhm, are you alright with the bare minimum?" Hinata inquired.

Sister Ino nodded so much and so fast she almost got whiplash. Hinata tossed the light bag with the cloth, silverware and sleeping bags.

"Come on, let's... Let's escape. We have to see Naruto again." Hinata gestured to the end of the hallway. "This way."

Sister Ino's otherwise troubled expression smoothened out into something hopeful. Everything including her hair beamed. "Can I hold a bible?"

Hinata nodded. "Yeah. Bring whatever you'd like," she allowed a small smile.

Hinata felt good about this as a bible was tightly held in Sister Ino's sleeved arms.

Sister Ino jumped up, beauty and happiness mixed on her face. "Thank you, SO MUCH!"

Hinata's smile melted off her face. She didn't feel good about her choice anymore.

Hinata flinched at the volume of Sister Ino. She used 76% of her lung capacity to yell that out. Sister Ino was... so loud! They were supposed to be like air! Not thunderclaps!

Sister Ino covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"Hey! I thought I heard something! The two kids, they must be this way!" Tenzou, the one who wasn't flirting, shouted.

Steps came roaring down the hallway. Seriously?! Why would Ino do that? They made eye contact. Sister Ino shrunk, her guilt big.

This quiet escape wasn't quiet anymore.

And it just got a lot more impossible.

* * *

-End Chapter-

A/N- I quite like this chapter. Idk why. Oh, if you're wondering, Hinata and Naruto do not get together but I will play with something along the lines of they could be together


	3. Chapter Two: Surrender

**Bellenero** **:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 2-  
Surrender

* * *

HINATA FELT LIKE THEY WERE DOOMED. _DOOMED._

Hinata didn't have time to reason with her feelings so she left them behind. Hinata picked up her sword, the two bags with stuff and looped her arm with the frozen Sister Ino.

Sister Ino wasn't moving! She was paralyzed. Hinata took to dragging Sister Ino down the steps. Hinata's flight response kicked in.

Sister Ino's _didn't_!

Hinata has never been so fearful in her life but Sister Ino's limbs couldn't just lock up! They had somewhere to be with people to meet.

Just at the bottom of the staircase, there was Iruka.

Hinata didn't _see_ Iruka's face while he choked up around Sister Ino but she _recognized_ him. He lived in Forge Village and he took odd jobs like escorting orphan kids and all that. He was their age and she hated him a lot.

Iruka took away lots of good people for _money_. Hinata should despise Sister Hera for giving those kids to the authorities but she doesn't know what she's doing. She doesn't know right from wrong.

Iruka did.

Iruka's mildly handsome looks and cream-skin was interrupted by a large scar of an 'x' across his face, the intersection just on the bridge of his nose. His hair was spiky and his face conveyed this intense concentration. And arrogance. Iruka knew that he would catch Hinata and Sister Ino, so he celebrated.

The girls were five or six steps away from the bottom. Yeah. He would easily detain them. Maybe he gets to _celebrate_.

Just then, Sister Ino came alive. Sister Ino disentangled herself from Hinata and stopped tripping over her own feet. Sister Ino hurled her treasured, heavy leather-bound book at Iruka. Iruka caught it, confused at such a thing coming at him. His arms were full with the paper and words.

He was still caught up on her beauty, gaping. "Sister Ino- why are you with the _criminal_?"

In response, Sister Ino leaped off of the steps with her bag. Landing on Iruka.

He didn't have enough time to drop the bible and no time to catch her either. He whipped back with their bodies slammed together.

They tumbled down, Iruka's elbow in a different, unnatural angle. He screamed out in agony as his elbow was broken and he thonked his head on the hardwood.

"Why? Why?" Iruka groaned. "Why are you doing this?"

Hinata dashed past the both of them then stopped. She figured that Sister Ino would live off of the adrenaline and _run with_ the momentum of the instance. Get up and run instead of shutting down.

Sister Ino shut down instead. Her hands hovered over Iruka, trying to help him, hold him, slap him. Hinata didn't know.

Sister Ino hesitated, affronted with all this trauma and confusion on her face. She didn't know why she helped Hinata -a criminal- or have a reason. Sister Ino was torn by her actions.

Hinata was too. But Sister Ino couldn't be branded a criminal. She had nice things going for her. If Sister Ino decided she didn't want this life of crime, then she could return here as a victim, not a monster.

Sister Ino caught Hinata's eyes. Asking for help.

Hinata swallowed, grabbed Sister Ino's wrist and pulled her away.

Sister Ino's eyes searched Hinata's once again but Hinata brushed it off.

"Sister Ino's bleeding under _her dress._ If she doesn't co-come with us, then... Uh, we'll hurt her. The next cut won't be so pretty around her neck!" Hinata said as threateningly as she could.

Sister Ino wasn't bleeding. She wasn't hurt either. Hinata got the feeling Sister Ino didn't want to forsake this orphanage just yet.

Sister Ino just had to go with it. "Uh- yeah! _Please_ help. Please, Iruka-kun!"

Hinata winced at how unconvincing they both were. They didn't have much experience with lying or threats. The thundering of steps came closer. Sister Ino reached for her bible but Hinata pulled her away. No time.

Sister Ino let out a heartfelt apology to Iruka. "I'm sorry!"

Iruka gave her a strained look. "I'll find you."

Hinata and Sister Ino trudged all the way to the kitchen. Naruto was there but surrounded by nuns with knives and other weapons. Four nuns surrounded him as he's been caught. Naruto had bags and stuff but he... couldn't get away. Her heart stopped. Unless they did something, Naruto would be in real danger.

Hinata and Sister Ino lunged for the shadows, peeking just around the corner. Flour, rice, and hanging dried meat was in the entrance of the kitchen. Hinata gestured to them and Sister Ino stuffed some things into the bags.

Hinata knew there was a window and the air circulation was bad but the fans were on. That could work. Naruto noticed Hinata's head poking out. He gestured for her to run ahead, he got this. She wouldn't go, though.

"Look- _look_ at me!" The nun snapped to get his attention.

Naruto reluctantly tore his gaze away.

"Hey! Why are you stealing from the kitchen?" One of the nuns demanded.

"I was hungry! I wanted some grub!" Naruto said nervously.

They don't know that Naruto's been _arrested_ or kicked out. Word hasn't gotten around nor has Sister Hera told anyone of what she was doing. Even though the nuns don't like misbehaving kids, they wouldn't allow Sister Hera to _do this_.

There was some good. At least. A _little_ bit.

"Why are you bare-chested and with a bag?!" Another nun snapped.

"I was really, really hungry," Naruto said.

He had shoes on, probably left behind at the front entrance or in storage. That was perfect. While Sister Ino was busy lining their bags with spices and dried fruit, Hinata took out one pair of his boots.

She got a small bag of flour and pepper.

"I will go and make footprints of Naruto going in a different direction. Distract all of the nuns and point to the north hallways. Say that's where he went. Okay?" Hinata whispered.

Sister Ino shook her head. "You want me to be the decoy?! I am NOT a decoy!" protested Ino.

"You are a nun. They trust you with the truth," Hinata replied. "Go meet us at the grapevine exit, okay? You have to be the decoy!"

"Fine!"

Hinata ran out with his boots laced up tightly.

She dumped flour on the soles and ran around, passing the sleeping Iruka. Tenzou was gone and no other nuns prowled the steps. She didn't know where they were but that wasn't important.

She just had to run and run around, making trails and different routes with all the flour. Footprints that seemed to belong to Naruto would colour the dull wood.

When she came back to the kitchen, the nuns were still there.

Hinata looked to see that Sister Ino just wasn't having it. She grumbled and groaned. Hinata gestured for the young woman to start yelling out wrong directions in thirty seconds.

Hinata didn't know what she was doing but she had a plan. The fan was in front of the stone wall with the chore schedule.

That was the key! Hinata lugged over a bag of flour with her sword, silently, while Naruto nervously distracted their foes. Shadows crept along the walls. She tried to blend in by hugging the corners.

"Ne, nuns. I've been thinking about becoming king. If you let me go, I'll reward you and give you all the churches you'd want!" Naruto grinned.

"Che, the throne can't accept people like you!" A nun hissed. "King? That's impossible! What's gotten into you, boy?"

"How should I know? I don't know how idiots think," Another one gargled on her laughter.

They were all locked in twisted laughter until they got whiffs of the powdery turmeric and pepper in the night breeze.

"Wait- why does it smell like trouble?!" One nun cried. "Naruto- what did you do?"

Hinata knew her cue! She ripped the bags and threw handfuls of flour into the air. The fan dispersed the powder.

The white blizzard of _pepper_ and _flour_ immediately confused everyone. The nuns screamed and rambled around, knocking into things like a lazy, blind game of marbles.

"You rotten boy!" One nun sneezed.

Hinata threw two more bags of disorienting flour into the air. The fan dispersed the particles everywhere. It was on the floor, in their eyes, on the sink, hiding Naruto.

The nuns fell. Struggled to stand. They shrieked but nothing helped them.

Naruto immediately ran through the flour, laughing with joy and amusement. A huge tension filled with bubbles popped as he dashed, grabbing her arm in his sweet escape.

His grip reminded her _of reality_ and called her back to the present.

Naruto barely got any flour on him and he had a _bright_ smile. It was almost as if the killers and Adventurers came from some awful dream.

But it wasn't a dream. His bag was filled with food and all the good things. They were running for their lives. She was barefoot again. Her breaths ground holes in her lungs from how fast she ran.

They got away from the fickle nuns but she hadn't escaped the treacherous Tenzou yet.

"I thought I was done for! The jail cell called to me! You okay?" he asked.

Hinata nodded.

He clapped her on the back. "You're awesome!"

Hinata blushed. The nun's shrieks weren't so distant anymore. She was sick to her stomach.

"Get him! Where did he go?" One nun yelled.

"That way! The northern corridor! I saw him sprint with all those things!" Sister Ino's voice called out.

Naruto stopped. "Why _is she_ helping us?!"

Hinata looked down, guilty. "She's coming with us."

Her red and bruised feet were much more interesting than the sudden betrayal she admitted.

Naruto stopped so abruptly, he fell forward and rolled a couple of times. The shocking news made his bag of stuff clank and clatter and crinkle as he plopped on his stomach.

His sword slid a meter away from him.

She didn't know he would take the news so poorly. Was he overreacting? He fell because his mind blanked. Hus legs stopped because of Sister Ino. Did she have that effect on him? Why did he hate her so much?

Hinata rushed over.

She crouched down to check for injuries. She poked the meaty part of his shoulder. Was he conscious? She hadn't gotten the chance to get the medical kit. It was in the kitchen- did _Naruto_ think of it?

He shouldn't roll around on the ground when he's without a shirt.

He groaned and turned his face to stare at her. He was pressing for answers and he hasn't even said anything. She already felt the acute nervousness well up in her throat. Why couldn't she just talk? She felt like she wronged him for some reason. She didn't have to consult him for this... Right?

Hinata pulled him up. "She's coming with us..."

Hinata flinched when he growled at the news. Could she placate this? She wanted to. So bad. So badly.

"She got our clothes packed and she gave us money from the safe. She's a good person." insisted Hinata.

"She can't pay us to like her and a good person wouldn't be named Clementine Ino." Naruto pointed out, flailing his muscled arms. "I don't wanna share my ramen with Sister Ino!"

"You don't have to share anything with her, she'll get half of my portions when we all travel." Hinata reasoned.

"I don't wanna travel with Sister Ino either!" he pouted. "Travel companions are precious people and she is dirt to me!"

"Why do you hate her so much?" Hinata poked his arm three times. "You guys used to h-hold hands and be _friends_."

He looked down at her with a pensive expression. His nostrils flared and his face boiled. "That doesn't matter! She shouldn't come with us! At all!"

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata checked the dark hall. "Please. You can be mad at me for this later on, let's- we have to go and meet up with her!"

He sat up. "She's a jerk. An annoying, frustrating girl!"

Hinata sighed. "Can't you find it in your heart to use some civic action when speaking with her?"

"Play nice? With _her_?" Naruto let out a mocking laugh. "I _tried_! She just... can't get that concept. Arrrgh. She makes me mad." he ran his fingers through his messy spiked hair.

This would be a problem for the future Hinata but the present Hinata needed to get them out of this cursed building. It's only a matter of time before the nuns come this way. Besides, Naruto's groaning and protests were loud. It carved a second pit in her stomach.

Hinata got up, tossing his sword. "Come on. We don't have time to argue or _rest_."

Naruto grumbled, dusting himself off.

"This way!" Hinata said, going down the corridor she hadn't marked with flour.

Her feet were light. She raced as they cast clean, cold shadows on the planks. During this whole thing, Naruto was totally glaring at the side of her face. Drilling holes with his eyes. _Fine_. Whatever. Be mad.

Her knuckles were pale around her sword.

They were soon in the second courtyard with the vines that crawled up the side of the decaying orphanage wall. The redness of the bricks were dyed black in this commotion.

The darkness of the area reminded her just of the worst that would transpire. This pursuit wouldn't last forever. It's just for tonight. Everything was on fire but eventually fires stopped burning.

Sister Ino sprung out of the black like some kind of jack in the box. "You're back! And where's Naruto?" she immediately scanned the area around them.

Hinata pointed to the man behind her. "Right here..."

Both of them took deep breaths. Some big inhalations to prepare for the oncoming argument.

"You're safe!" yelped Sister Ino. "Thank Kami!"

That shocked Hinata. _Thoroughly_.

Naruto stepped back, scratching his neck. "Don't come with us. I hate you. Go home."

They paused, looking at each other.

Sister Ino recoiled, wincing her eyes. "Are you a child?"

"Why do you care?" Naruto threw up his arms.

"Y'know what? Only _babies_ are as dumb as you are!"

"Babies love me."

"They cry and get tortured by the sound of your voice!"

"Sister Ino, you tortured us back at the orphanage an' now you gotta do it on the road too? Tch. You're annoying."

Hinata stood there, for what it seemed like ages, just trying to decide what to do with the both of these blonde children.

"G-guys, stop arguing... We have an orphanage to get away from." Hinata held up her arms, standing in front of Sister Ino. "You don't have to _fight_ about this."

They both glared at Hinata.

"WHY IS _SHE_ COMING WITH US?!"

"WHY IS _HE_ COMING WITH US?!"

They both asked their vehement questions at the same time. Hinata's eardrums burst with their petulant demands.

Hinata choked up. "Sister Ino gave us a bunch of money and packed our bags and Naruto-kun got banished... So we're all here, trying to be peaceful. Right?"

They glared at each other again. _Wrong_. Them yelling and such made Hinata have a major headache!

"Why are you mad _about_ this, Naruto?" demanded Sister Ino to Naruto.

"You can't do anything but yell. You won't help me get to the Capital."

"You can't do anything but wear orange and be obnoxious by messing everyone's day up! Aaaaand," Sister Ino yelled, dragging out the 'a's', "I can cook and clean and-"

"So you'll be our maid? Clean all the weevils out?" snickered Naruto.

"That's not _all_ that I'll do. I'll keep morality when you go to hell!"

"If you're comin' with us, then I guess I am already there!" he ground out, furious.

Sister Ino snapped her neck to look at Hinata. "Hey, Troll, how _are_ we going to the Capital?"

The whole atmosphere changed. The argument's hostility and anger turned towards her.

Hinata stumbled backwards. "Troll?"

Hinata looked around and sure enough, the comment was directed to her.

Sister Ino opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She was _blank_.

The deeper silence was brought to the plain. It was hard for Naruto to keep still. His fists curled as he restrained himself.

Sister Ino covered her mouth again, no longer dripping grace or exuding misplaced confidence. That slip of a tongue left a bitter taste.

"There ain't no troll here!" Naruto held up his sword. "You're just like everyone else at the damn orphanage, Maid! You're just gonna screw everything up for _us_."

Sister Ino's rough, unforgiving words sent Hinata adrift. It's as if she's been chewing on cake rusk with dried coffee beans. Hinata's eyes burned a bit. Even her newfound companion thought that she was a blind, ugly Troll.

A _Troll_. Is that all Hinata really was to this place? The people around her? Hinata hated her _eyes_. The world kind of rushed around her face with them just locked in this awkwardness.

Why did she care?! This was a wound that never ceased to heal. Hinata was furious for the sadness it brought. She lived in these times when this still bothered her enough to be indignant and _resentful._

Naruto still pointed that dreaded weapon. Sister Ino trembled because a sword's edge could slice her.

Sister Ino couldn't _say_ anything right at this instance but what she did say cost her. Hinata couldn't yell at Naruto for raising a sword on Sister Ino in the first place.

"Naruto-kun-" Hinata started.

"I know what you're gonna say but I don't care-" said Naruto shortly.

"Lower your weapon! Sister Ino isn't one you should take up arms with!"

"It's funny how you could remember her name but she don't care 'bout _yours_."

"We don't seek blood, at least I don't. We shouldn't raise swords against each other, either. Lower your sword."

Naruto ripped away his glare and lowered his sword. "That's why I don't want to travel with _you_. Hi-chan ain't a Troll, you damn Maid," Naruto said, tone flat and rude.

Naruto shouldered a bunch of bags, taking the luggage Sister Ino put on the dead grass. He rolled his eyes, scoffed and left.

"Oh yeah... What is your name again?" Sister Ino asked.

Hinata sighed and walked past the frozen maid. "We... We have to get to the main road." Hinata brushed a strand of her hair out of her face.

"It-"

"You talking will turn the pain up." Hinata cut her off. "Let's get to the main road. Alright?"

Sister Ino paused fixedly, not moving. She was desperately looking for something to say, to fix this. She was lost though she stood right there. Her fingers flexed. She didn't know whether or not her future was ripped out of her hands. Sister Ino severely questioned whether or not Hinata would let her come with them too.

"P... Pick up those two bags." Hinata urged thinly, waiting for the guilty, dispirited Sister Ino to follow.

"There aren't any more." Sister Ino gulped, hands shaking.

Hinata needed Sister Ino. Somewhat. Hinata made a promise to take her while her heart was wide open. They couldn't kill time here, doing nothing.

Hinata stared at her hands, subdued. All of the rage turned into dust. They'll spark up later. What happened? Instead of wondering, she regarded the girl, sighing.

The sky was dark and this whole situation was scandalous. Hinata was scantily dressed. The air smelled like dirt and flowers and flour stained her left cheek. This was a difficult situation. She had to keep her wits.

Naruto, Sister Ino and Hinata were in the clear, out of the woods for a little bit.

They could be fine. They will be fine.

"Here then," Hinata sighed.

Hinata gave one bag to Sister Ino. The sheet of the makeshift pack wasn't secured. It promptly unfolded in Sister Ino's hands, almost as a protest to Sister Ino coming along. The items tumbled and settled in a measly pile, mocking Hinata.

Hinata crouched, shoving everything into the bag. "Go lead the way for Naruto- I'll clean this up. He'll probably meet up at the Paradise Rock." Hinata sighed.

"What about you?" Sister Ino furrowed one brow.

Her concern for Hinata was insulting and it cut her heart up. "I'll be fine. Go ahead." Hinata waved her away.

Hinata tried to smile but it didn't work. Sister Ino cast one regretful glance in Hinata's direction before scurrying away. Sister Ino got ahead, in front of her.

Everything kept on falling apart. Apart and more apart. Maybe because _Hinata_ was involved, it wasn't going her way. She hated making decisions for others but Sister Ino was kind of incapable of doing so.

She didn't know if they were doing anything right. She hugged the shadows until she got to the field where Naruto and Hinata hid. A full mob of nuns and Sister Hera were in front of the bushes where they felt safe.

 _Crabs_.

Sister Hera had Naruto's shirt scrunched up in a fist. It was silk. It was beautiful. It was also in the clutches of that tyrant witch. Hinata and Sister Hera (at the front of the mob) were at a standstill. Like what else could they do?

Hinata halted, her angry flames broiling inside of her stomach.

"You thought you could rob us blind and escape, Troll? You are stupid, stupid for a runaway who hopes to escape the sanctuary of this place," Sister Hera threw down the shirt and stomped on it. "To hell with you and Naruto. I don't need you both, therefore, keeping this gift from Jiraiya is useless."

Sister Hera articulated every word with an extra kick. Evilly.

Hinata ground her teeth, muscles tense due to the restraining. She felt _blood_ pumping to her fist, she wanted to hit the lady so much. Like before. Like now.

"Give that back. It is precious to someone I must see again," said Hinata, her voice oddly clear and loud. Crusts of dried blood fell off of her thighs and her feet didn't sting as much.

Her words reached the mass of black-wearing nuns with their cross necklaces reflecting the moonlight. Sister Hera was furious, once again, that Hinata wasn't cowed by this whole ordeal.

Sister Hera crossed her arms. "What? No stuttering?" her reptile tongue said, giving Hinata lightning-bolt sized slashes.

Hinata bit her lip. Along with her meekness involved in her uncontrollable habits, stuttering is thrown in there too. With the boring straightness of her curious navy-blue hair, it fluttered in the light wind. There was a lot of hurt.

"Every time an orphan tries to leave, they make it easy to catch them. You've stolen a bunch of food, injured three nuns and broken _an Adventurer's_ leg. He's your age and meant to go places to defend the Capital. You are criminals and you squandered our resources! You won't escape. How dare you make _it_ difficult to raise you, troubled kids?"

"We aren't troubled. Stop treating us _like_ you were the best parent. You weren't!"

Sister Hera clicked her tongue, irritation creeping up in her tone. "However would you know _what good parents are?_ Your parents abandoned you when you were alive, how could we possibly want you as well?"

Hinata paused. Hurt. That was... That stung. She wasn't prepared to be stabbed in the heart. She never wanted to be abandoned. Her father. Her father just forgot about her. The disappointment won't be done when she thought about her parents and Sister Hera poured lemon juice with pepper into her bloodstream.

"You weren't a parent or a good person and you hid behind the bible!" Hinata whispered.

 _You just forced your misery upon all of us because you were unhappy with the life you chose! We don't want to stay here and suffer_ , Hinata thought. _That's why you're like this; senile and mean._

"You guys will starve to death if the other Adventurers don't kill you first." Sister Hera hissed.

Hinata picked the sword up and pointed it at the lady. "Give me back the _shirt_. If you d-don't, I'll... I'll take it the hard way."

Sister Hera pursed her thin, shrunken lips. Her gray hair peeked out of the tightly fitted cap. "Is that so? You will shed our _pure_ blood on this sanctuary? In front of the almighty themselves?"

"Sister Hera Clementine, this isn't a sanctuary! We weren't raised, we were brought down. I don't have a last name because you people _forgot_! You were supposed to make a family, and you made enemies of both Naruto-kun and I! So, give me back that shirt!"

"No."

 _Fine._

Hinata charged at the mob of nuns with a battle cry that would scare the Gods. Most of the nuns jumped out of the way, diving for cover.

When confronting a dangerous animal, the best thing to do was to look big and sound loud. Hinata didn't know what she was doing but it was working.

However, Sister Hera was a block and her bull's eyes kept steady. She wasn't moving.

Sister Hera didn't understand that the orphanage never felt warm. Something moved through the walls, maybe it was hope trying to get out of the cage Sister Hera locked up. There are places to see. She knew where she wanted to be and go.

The peripheral vision and items were a blur but Hinata pounced for Sister Hera.

Sister Hera saw right through her move, as if Hinata were transparent, and swept under her ankles.

Hinata lost balance and toppled.

Hinata landed on her knees, wrists burning as they took all the impact. She couldn't cry out, let that audible weakness take her. Make her look weak.

Showing her back to an enemy was dumb.

Hinata rolled over, Sister Hera looming over Hinata. She blocked the light so the shadows illuminated the sinister edge of her smirk.

Sister Hera looked especially threatening. She was a thin person and weighed little. Dining on people's dreams didn't give many calories.

Hinata looked at her half-open pack. She just needed to grab something.

Sister Hera began with her sweet, sweet voice that tricked kids into thinking she was safe. "Little Troll, you don't know how to survive in the real world. There are bad people, bad corrupt things like men, temptation and corruption. Our orphanage is protected by a barrier that keeps out all the other blasphemous creatures. Real monsters. Real monsters that you won't ever get to see because we caught you." The woman in her mid-forties reached for Hinata's wrist. "You're coming with me, _forever_." Sister Hera hissed. "Don't fight it!"

Hinata's mind throbbed, clouded with the unknown. No. No! She refused.

Hinata didn't want to stay. She _couldn't_! She didn't want to be taken. She had someone to get back to. She had Naruto's dream she didn't understand but wanted to come true.

Sister Hera's hand was veined and bony, so it was like death approached Hinata with an iron resolve. If Sister Hera got a hold of her, that was the end! This is it, Hinata should just let it be.

Could she?

A new craze, a new ferocity gave Hinata strength.

She couldn't let it _be_.

Hinata pulled the slow-moving arm. Hinata yanked on it as hard as she could. Hinata's grip was weak because of the flour residue and her nerves.

With the arm clamped in her fists, Hinata rolled on the rounder part of her spine, taking the woman with her.

Sister Hera's body lurched forward, hovering over Hinata's for a moment. Hinata kicked the woman's stomach with all of her might, releasing her tight grip.

Sister Hera's ribs were springy under her feet as she catapulted away. She landed with a groan somewhere else.

Hinata didn't care where; she had to get to Paradise Rock and potentially run from Tenzou. Hinata crawled backwards. Then she remembered- Naruto's pyjama shirt.

Orange. Orange. Orange. Where was it? It's _orange_! Hinata's frantic searching got interrupted by frequent gazes over her shoulder- at the groaning nun who was awake.

Ah! There it is! She picked up the shirt, along with a good chunk of land and tossed it into the bag. Before she saw the enemy, she saw a patch of black on the cold, night grass. The shadow.

Another nun threw her body on Hinata's table-top position. An icy pain spread throughout her spine and she couldn't help but rest in the painful moment. It slapped the taste out of her mouth.

Hinata's limbs didn't cooperate a hundred percent but she was driven by instincts. Hinata batted away the second nun's attempts to stop Hinata by elbowing her. A good jab. A nice one.

The nun pushed off and Hinata scrambled to her feet, dodging all the hits that interfered with that. Hinata kicked the nun, sloppy and scared. Right in the kneecap.

Hinata turned around and saw an ugly chin, so she aimed for that. She caught an ear instead. The nun dropped her bag and fell, clawing at Hinata's thighs. Nails that weren't cut slid down her skin. A blink took away all the pain.

Hinata's breathing was heavy as she got her sword. She rustled in her bag and found a spice Sister Ino must have put in there. Rosemary!

Hinata tossed it into the face of the last nun. The last nun screamed. Hinata turned around, Hinata tossed the Rosemary and most of all, Hinata sprinted.

And sprinted.

 _And_ sprinted.

She ran for her life. It was like she was being hunted. _Physically._ Mentally. Realistically. The tree's roots made her trip, the stinging needles of the pine trees whipped her face, her feet were blistered and her breathing was heavy.

She wasn't exactly sure if she got to Paradise Rock. How far it was. How close it wasn't. It was all a mystery. The patch of lush forest was desolate because nothing she cared about was there. No one. No trace of misplaced nature or echoes of Naruto and Sister Ino. Nothing.

She collapsed onto her knees. Did Tenzou get to them? Was it because she took too long? There were obvious trails _that lead_ here.

Damn it. Crabs. Crabs. Where were they? Did they go back around to look for her? Did Naruto get lost? She felt the loss. She failed them.

She was too late.

It was all silent until little kicks and murmurs were heard. Was it death? Did he come to personally take her away? Hinata hit three or four of her caretakers who were nuns outside of a church orphanage. She deserved holy water and a crucifixion and then some.

Then the murmurs came closer and she embraced it.

"Geez, you had to twist your ankle now? Now we're all hurt," A voice commented. It was rounded with annoyance and sharpened with familiarity.

Could it be Naruto?

Who was Naruto talking to? He was so grouchy!

"I don't control fate or the universe! I don't try to get hurt. Not at a time like this! I'm not her." Another voice Hinata knew retorted.

Sister Ino and Naruto were arguing.

She's never been so glad to hear arguing. In her life. Her parents never argued (she hoped) but everyone in the orphanage always argued. They were all brats fighting for something. More clothes, more time outside, more food. Anything.

Something in her became very tired. Like an off switch, a particularly harsh sleeping potion or even the breezy scent of lavender got caught under her nose.

Everything under her, keeping her up collapsed.

"I'm so glad! You guys are okay! Did you guys avoid injuries? Nothing big happened?" Hinata asked quietly.

Thank goodness.

Her dramatic fall cut their moody voices off. Dust, berries and branches perfumed her fall when they poked her skin. She set her forehead down and inhaled deeply. Finally. They avoided some danger. They could rest for a little bit. A small bit.

Naruto was shocked at seeing Hinata in such a beat-up state. He set Sister Ino down against a tree. Gently, which surprised Hinata.

"Hinata..." Naruto called out.

Sister Ino regarded Hinata nervously. "You look like you've fought a lot," Sister Ino swallowed, a cascade of platinum hair covering her left eye. It made her look more mysterious.

"Are you okay?" asked Naruto.

Now Hinata was. She thought Tenzou had found them or done something dangerous. Relief replaced her blood and _nothing_ more seemed important. They survived a small _disaster._

Hinata sat up, smiling lightly. "It's fine."

Her lungs felt weird like they were filling with water and her spine had a curl to it. Her nightgown was ruined and wet.

"Oi, you're bleeding..." Naruto yelped. "YOU REALLY ARE BLEEDIN'!"

Hinata looked down to her leg and gasped. Streaks of copper coloured her pale skin. She hadn't felt the pain of her escape until they actually brought it up. Aw man! Now it really went to the forefront of her sensations.

It burned.

"How did you get wounds this severe? Why were you late?" Naruto freaked out.

Hinata made brief eye-contact with Sister Ino then looked away. If Sister Ino hadn't dropped anything, she wouldn't have had to encounter the nuns. If Hinata said that, Naruto would riot and she couldn't deal with that noise.

"I just trip a lot, is all," Hinata replied in an offhand way.

Naruto's hands hovered over her leg. He knew that he couldn't wrap the wound or help in any sense with the medical aspect of things. He picked her up like she weighed nothing and placed her beside Sister Ino. The grooves of the tree stabbed her back.

Naruto crouched and looked at the two girls. "What am I gonna do with you guys? We got out but Tenzou is still out there, bein' a jerk." Naruto frowned.

Sister Ino opened the bags and tossed Hinata some clothing and shoes. "Here. Put these on."

Naruto gulped after his eyes roamed Hinata's body. "Uh. Uh, you're. It's just your shirt. Uh, wow-" his cheeks were tinted a dark pink.

It was a terrible idea to be in the woods with such flimsy clothing. Hinata _followed_ the line of his sight and gasped. There was a significantly huge rip in her nightshirt. It exposed her left breast, well, the underside. She had a lot of breast so it exposed a lot.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata covered her chest. "Wow?!"

Naruto had this redness and speechless expression on his face. He just jerked away from her. "Yeah. Wow?"

Hinata could die right then and there!

Sister Ino threw a shoe at Naruto's face. "You pervert, don't look!" she screamed.

"But they're huge _and_ right there-"

"All the more reason not to!"

"Wait-"

Sister Ino threw the other shoe into the woods. "Fetch it while she changes!"

Naruto grumbled and dragged his feet as he hunted for the other shoe.

The awkwardness of being alone after Sister Ino's comment set in. It didn't help that Naruto would be hunting for _Hinata's_ shoes since Sister Ino threw them.

"Those... were my shoes," Hinata said in a small voice.

"I forgot. Ha, ha, I just needed to throw something at him. Don't you want to?" Sister Ino cleared her throat.

"No," Hinata shook her head. "I don't."

"Oh," Sister Ino's voice was high and squeaky. "I do."

Hinata and Sister Ino looked at each other blankly for a moment before Hinata gestured in another direction. "Well... I'm going to go over there."

"O-okay. Yeah, don't forget anything."

Hinata turned around to wave.

Sister Ino had a sour expression on her face.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"So both sides of you are big, huh," Sister Ino sighed, her features twisted in discomfort and what else, jealousy?

Hinata chose to turn around and go behind a tree, mostly to compose herself. She silently shimmied into another kimono shirt. It was purple, sleeveless and the top button wouldn't button up. She stared at the cleavage. _Whyyyyy_? Why was everything too small?

Her bust had always been a reason women hated her and men stared. Having big breasts were a pain. Shirts didn't fit properly. Her back ached. Shirts always were sexualized. Women were jealous and _men_ just... were creepy.

Naruto wasn't being creepy. It was just embarrassing! Like really, really _embarrassing._

Hinata returned with beige shorts and the last button that she fiddled with.

Sister Ino looked away, sighing. "They are _really_ big."

Hinata hated when they jiggled when she ran or _moved_. "It's not like- I-I chose for my body to be this..."

"Curvy? Like an hourglass?" suggested Ino, making the outline of her body.

Hinata hid her face in shame. "Y-yeah..."

"Don't worry... Mine are bigger," she said confidently.

Hinata looked at Sister Ino and her _determined_ expression. The blonde was making this into a competition. Seriously? Again. Their bodies weren't a competition.

Hinata used some of her nightshirts to clean her wound with the medical kit Naruto brought. He did bring one. The wound stopped bleeding. It was a dull pain that she could manage. Her feet were next, and she cleaned those. They were caked with dirt and other nonsense.

She was done putting on her shorts and shirt. She forgot that Naruto was sweating in the shadows. She called out to Naruto.

"I'm decent. C-come out," Hinata blushed.

Naruto specifically avoided looking at her and her chest. It made it so obvious. The shoe print was red across his cheek. He recovered. He held her boots.

"You don't have to act differently now, Naruto-kun, just because I am a girl," Hinata whispered.

Naruto sniffed his nose, rubbing away some blood. "You're a girl? He, he, I didn't notice that."

Hinata laughed a bit.

He returned some of that brightness. He scanned her outfit. "You got a button that's-"

"I know!" Hinata cried, burying her face in her hands, then to cover her cleavage then her eyes again. "All of my shirts are like this! It's out of my control."

"All of 'em, huh," he said slowly.

Hinata looked at him through the cracks of her fingers. "What?"

He blushed and stared at his feet. "You gotta do somethin' 'bout that. Jus' saying... When we get to Forge Village, I'll buy you a cloak or shirts. Somethin' tighter."

"T-tighter?!"

"I mean, better fitting- not that! Er, something better that makes you comfortable."

"Yeah?" Hinata asked consideringly.

Naruto would take her shopping. That's nice. She's never been shopping before.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Yep. To cover up an' shit."

Sister Ino groaned. "You don't have to be gross about her, Naruto." she scoffed.

"Stay outta this, Maid!" Naruto retorted.

They glared at each other and Hinata smiled nervously. "We have to go now."

"Here's your shoe," he gave her the shoe.

Hinata winced when she leaned down to pull up her boots. Crabs. She also remembered the pain in her spine.

Well, he got down on one knee and slid them on, making Hinata blush. He's a gentleman sometimes. He's crude, loud and annoying but he was a gentleman at heart.

"Are you proposing?! We're only sixteen." Sister Ino demanded. "As if she'd want to marry you."

"I'm the perfect bachelor!"

"You're a bag of rocks!"

Naruto growled. "Remember, I'm the one busting my chops to carry you. Do you wanna _accidentally_ fall?"

"You wouldn't!" A grimace contorted Sister Ino's expression.

"Accidents happen, Maid," Naruto grumbled.

"Why you little freak!"

They got into another round of this meaningless battle. They're so caught up in their rivalry or dislike for one another that they're forgetting the situation at hand.

"Come on, guys! Stop arguing! Tenzou is still on the loose and _we_ can't fight each other or drop one another because we're all super annoying!" Hinata looked at the two blondes. "We all have faults. We're all _running_. Let's deal with it and get to the main road, alright? Hold off your conflict until we get to the shortcut."

Naruto and Sister Ino let their arguments go for the meantime. Naruto allowed Sister Ino to climb onto his back. Hinata stretched a bit then carried 60% of the stuff.

"Sister Ino, you got heavier," he whistled, pretending to buckle.

"Seriously?" Sister Ino shrieked.

"Nah, I'm just joking."

She smacked his ear. "Don't comment on a lady's weight."

"A lady is here? Where?"

Sister Ino pulled on his ear. "Don't be a jerk."

"Ow, ow, _that hurt_!"

"Good!"

"Maybe you're the bag of rocks, Sister Ino," he laughed.

Instead of yelling back, Sister Ino just sunk, embarrassed.

"What, got nothin' tuh say?" he taunted further.

"Beverwind," whispered Ino, words muffled because she spoke into the back of his neck.

"Sister Ino, lead the way," Hinata said.

Sister Ino nodded and pointed past the rock. "This way, alright."

Paradise Rock was still so tall and dull. The name Paradise Rock was an ironic play on its physical features. It was a smooth rock that was out of its element. It was surrounded by thick forests and was taller than the tree-top line.

Random tall rocks like these were thrown everywhere in handfuls in the area, sticking out like a sore thumb.

It was rumoured that these boulders were no more than small pebbles in giant's hands. The story is that two giants played catch, forgot about this huge rock and went along their way.

It wasn't meant to be here. Hinata didn't feel that much pain leaving though this place was her home for ten years. Sister Ino and Naruto were also pretty quick in letting go. It'll hit her later.

She could grieve later. Later was a time to be nostalgic and sad...

There must be a way to say that they existed, they were here. Hinata grabbed her sword and chipped in the letters "N.H.I" and walked ahead. She didn't dare _look_ back.

* * *

For the next twenty minutes or so of trudging through the forest in complete silence, Hinata began hearing life, the pull of animals and carts down the dusty road. They crouched down as a carpet of green tall grass teased their mid-thighs.

There were deep columns of wheel tracks that dug in the mud.

"Every morning, there's a huge line up to get into Forge Village. It is the hub of the East. Technology, magical devices and warriors meet there. The only one in this quarter of the world, I reckon." Sister Ino said. "This is the fastest way to Forge Village."

Hinata looked at Sister Ino. "Why's it called _Forge Village_?"

"Because the mountainous region can be mined for its iron, copper and other metals. It's a welder/blacksmith paradise. You'll find a lot of dwarves there. Not a lot of elves but lots of drunk dwarves who are money-crazy. Avoid the iron water." Sister Ino got serious.

"Iron Water?" Hinata asked.

"That's their dwarf-made alcohol. They hold their alcohol and eat everything like pigs. Their alcohol is specially made for their hard jaws and ugly teeth. It's also almost 100% alcohol. The concentration would fry a normal human's liver. The cirrhosis would leave a liver hard and gross like a hunk of iron, hence the name. They'll challenge you. Say no. You'll lose!"

Naruto nodded. "They won't see what's coming." Naruto smiled. "Shi, shi, shi, they'll _lose_."

"Oi! We're you listening?" Sister Ino hissed.

"Every word."

"As if your brain's big enough for that." Sister Ino retorted. "Don't do it."

"You're just jealous you can't win." Naruto boasted and stuck out his tongue. "That's on my bucket list."

"Bucket list?" Hinata asked. "What else is on it?" Probably something crazy...

Naruto thought for a moment. "Finding the perfect bowl of ramen, becoming king, meeting a dragon, a huge frog, eating all kinds of ramen and out drinking the dwarves!"

"You can't do any of that if you die when you drink the Iron Water! Don't do it." Sister Ino said.

"Don't tell me what to do, Maid!" Naruto pulled his bottom eyelid down and stuck out his tongue.

Hinata sighed. All of his great ambitions were crazy. Sister Ino rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of minerals and metals..." Hinata nudged Naruto's shoulder as he was in the middle of the two girls. "We got to pawn off the silver and other spoons we got. You got spoons, right?"

Naruto was slow to answer. He scratched the back of his neck. "I got chopsticks and uh, _forks_."

Hinata narrowed her purple eyes. Why's he acting so secretive and dodgy? "Why only forks? We'll be eating things that need spoons, too." Hinata reasoned.

Naruto shifted, his eyes meeting anything but her face. "Uhhhh... About that, Hi-chan, that's kinda a funny story-"

"What are you two whispering about? I still haven't forgotten what happened in the bushes." Sister Ino hissed.

"Nothing happened in the bushes, Maid." Naruto hissed back.

"Pffft, as if I'd trust that!"

"Guys- someone is coming!" Hinata reminded them. Another cart passed and they ducked into the tall grass. "Stop arguing about the smallest of things!"

"But-"

"No buts! We don't have time to argue. We're wasting time." Hinata scolded them lightly. She felt like a mediator. Did they care more about being petty rather than surviving?! These people were maddening!

Sister Ino leaned back, to snark at Naruto. "Yeah, Naruto, bags of rocks don't have a sense of time. They normally just waste time."

Naruto leaned over Hinata to sneer at Sister Ino. "You waste time!"

Hinata sighed. Tch. Why was she with the two loudest people from the orphanage? Maybe bringing them was a hazard...

Settling down, Naruto poked Hinata's cheek. "What's eatin' ya?"

Hinata blinked. Why would he touch her face? Did she have something on her face? Was he- like wiping something off of it?

"Did the blood loss get to you?" Naruto asked.

Hinata held her cheeks, swatting his hand away. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Worrying? Pffft. Who has time for that? 'Cause we don't."

Sister Ino's mouth fell open. "Naruto, you could have asked _me_ about my blood." Sister Ino was so red, she was a human tomato.

"So, Maid, what do you bleed?" Naruto asked seriously.

"Wh-what?"

"You hard of hearing, I asked you a question!"

Sister Ino composed herself, her face becoming less shiny with that blush. "I know that! What kind of question is that?!" She looked more human again and awkwardly answered the question. "I don't know- gold or something."

He scratched his head with his index finger. "Can you bleed gold?" Naruto winced. "How would that be possible?"

Hinata cleared her throat, leaning in to speak with Naruto. When Sister Ino and Naruto communicate, they fight and they are Hinata could talk to them individually _without_ engaging them or make them have a civil conversation between the three of them.

"Maybe we'll find someone in Forge Village who'll give us a small piece of themselves and you know... give us gold," Hinata suggested.

"Seriously?" he whispered.

"The world is a small place when you want something," Hinata nodded, watching his excited expression. "There are giants who roamed the land and the smallest of fairies who could kiss in between the groves of your fingerprint. You have to build a kingdom with gold, do you not?"

Naruto nodded excitedly. "You know just what to say!" he knocked her on the shoulder with a light fist.

Hinata ignored the beaming smile and coincidentally missed the stone look in Sister Ino's eyes.

Sister Ino looked between the two. Whispering softly. "I can't do that..."

Hinata stood tall as she chose a cart. "Okay guys, let's hijack a cart."

Naruto let out a battle whoop and Sister Ino punched his head. "Even the Empire can hear you right now..." Sister Ino sighed.

Naruto let out a bashful laugh. "Sorry."

Sister Ino climbed onto his back and grumbled other profanities into his ear. Hinata picked up all the remaining things.

Just as they were running, running to get to the middle of the road, Tenzou appeared randomly, unconcealing his ominous aura. His presence was just as sudden as the loud cry that left Naruto's mouth.

What happened? Hinata's neck hurt with how fast she swivelled around to stare at him.

His shoulder gushed berry juice blood and he grit his teeth, staring out at the horizon. Something hit Naruto. Tenzou hit Naruto. She didn't even see it! That's how fast he was.

"Naruto!" Sister Ino yelled, tumbling to the ground.

"Gotcha," Tenzou said, zeroing in his attack on Naruto. "Surrender quietly, Uzumaki Naruto," he called out.

"Screw you!" Sister Ino said weakly. She hissed when she tried to stand. She toppled and checked her ankle. It was an angry pink, bordering on purple.

"Maid, Hi-chan. Go on ahead," Naruto held his shoulder, looking at the man. Hinata couldn't see his expression but she was sure it bordered on deranged and furious.

He seemed to have a plan. She didn't know if... he would be alright. She had to believe it. He was sacrificing himself for the rest of them.

A small buzzing of reminders and sadness collected at the back of her head. Hinata nodded at once, helping the hopping Sister Ino up. She had to go on. She had to believe him.

Sister Ino yelped, looking at Hinata and Naruto with incredulous, betrayed eyes. "We're leaving him?"

Hinata nodded. "Sister Ino, we have to get on the next cart. He'll be coming after us. We aren't leaving him. We'll see him again and again."

Hinata had to be confident when she wasn't so sure of her words herself. He liked that semi-confidence in him and his skills. But she wasn't sure if it was misplaced belief.

Sister Ino caught onto that uncertainty. "You are heartless, acting like the leader and stuff! We can't just leave him! He'll kill Naruto!" Sister Ino hissed at Hinata. "Why are you allowing this?"

Naruto snorted. "I got some tricks up my sleeve. Something I've been wantin' to try out." he flexed his one arm. That worked.

Hinata gulped. "Tell me how it goes... on the carriage."

"Yosh! Get to the carriage. It'll be a show." he said with his usual bright stupor, he just had two holes in his body.

He was all fired up. Her worry bloomed into alarm but she had to ignore it. Hinata tried to pick Sister Ino up but the girl forcefully dropped to a low kneel, staring at Naruto desperately.

"We're not leaving you! Naruto- I swear, I'm not!" Sister Ino clawed at Naruto's body, his hand. "Don't you dare try to fight! Are you out of your MIND?!"

Naruto pushed her grasping hand away. "You're so dotin', Maid! I'm not gonna be defeated by the likes of 'im!" Naruto yelled, glaring at both Ino and Tenzou. "Go ahead. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Release Clementine Ino, return her to Lady Morgana Orphanage or you will reap the consequences. You have committed a serious felony. Theft and kidnapping. Just give up," Tenzou called out with a tired tone.

"Shut up! I'll never give up till I'm king, bozo!" Naruto yelled.

"I can beat you with your eyes closed! Release Clementine Ino!"

"Buzz off, asshole!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto..." Sister Ino protested with a small voice. Near tears. "I don't wanna abandon you."

"You're a church girl, right? Have some faith, Maid," Naruto said mildly. "You wanna abandon something? Abandon your doubt. I got this!"

He charged forward with his sword, yelling something about training and Ero-Sennin.

"Turn around for this. Don't freak out," he yelled, still running towards the common enemy.

Hinata didn't know why he looked so stoic and serious all of a sudden.

"Yeah," she promised.

Hinata carried Sister Ino, who fought valiantly despite her sprained ankle and carried as much stuff away, running to get to a carriage.

They missed the last two carriages but the one that was passing by didn't have a driver that was awake and conscious. The man was asleep with some sort of spell directing the carriage and the horses.

She's never seen it but that would do! She thought they would steal a carriage and _simply_ drive the horses and that could be it. The first plan would end with a dead _man_.

This carriage would literally save them a lot of time. Besides, the driver has some sort of barrier. A sound barrier.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata called out.

Hinata pushed Sister Ino inside of the carriage, successful. Hinata accidentally pushed Sister Ino in feet first. Sister Ino yelped when she landed on the wooden floor with a bunch of boxes and such.

She rolled on her back, her legs sticking up. "Ouch, why would you do that?!" Sister Ino kicked her foot and a bag catapulted outside of the carriage.

Unsteady because of her sword shifting her weight, Hinata was in the process of mounting into safety but she couldn't. Her eyes followed the graceful arch of the bag as it landed with a crash.

"My mistake, a bag fell!" Sister Ino cried out. "Leave it!"

"We're going to be travelling. We need _everything_." Hinata said.

Sister Ino crawled to the back of the carriage, where the opening was. "Leave it, please! I can't be alone!"

Hinata jumped off and bent down to pick up the sack. She tossed it back into the carriage.

Sister Ino flailed her arms out of the carriage, reaching for Hinata. "Get in!"

Hinata smiled. "You have nothing to worry about," she chuckled, stepping towards the cart.

A huge tree came out of nowhere and grew at a fast, dramatic pace. Its broad leaves and foliage were a barrier. It was a grand tree with history and the smell of something- pure power.

Did she... just j-jinx herself or something?! This huge tree was in between Hinata and the ever farther carriage. Crabs.

Sister Ino was yelling and panicking around this tall disturbance.

Hinata tried going around it but another monstrous tree grew where she was standing. She attempted slashing at it with her sword but she couldn't. She really didn't know how to use this rusty sword.

She twirled around, to see how Naruto was doing. If she could help.

But... she didn't expect _this_.

Just in front of her, there were three Narutos. _Three_. They all were triplets! Were her lilac eyes playing tricks on her? What was happening?!

She dropped her sword and fell. So a man who could make trees out of thin air and Naruto actually can make wind and he's one of three.

Huh?

Tenzou and one distinct Naruto were at a standstill. That Naruto was panting hard and something colourful and blue spun in his hand. It was beautiful and exotic. It made a whistling sound and riled up a light breeze.

Her hair brushed along her face. Her hair was short and strands clung to her wet lip. What _is_ Naruto? How are there three of him? All of them had those orbs.

Naruto exchanged blows with the man. A slick side-step from Naruto's actions were so controlled. Tenzou fought with a three-pronged weapon while Naruto dodged the slashes all the meanwhile keeping up with the incredible speed. Tenzou made branches of wood wrap around Naruto that he escaped.

A cry that chilled her spine dragged out of Naruto's throat and into the night air.

"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME, HI-CHAN OR THE ORPHANAGE!" Naruto charged at the man, that orb spinning around and around.

It glowed brilliantly. The current swelled in the air. Then, a needle came out and Tenzou stabbed it into Naruto's stomach. Tenzou laughed and created a sphere of wood that he hid inside.

Naruto punched and hit the sphere of wood but it was of no use. All the hits he landed chipped off large parts of it but those parts that were damaged just regenerated.

Naruto _called_ for or _summoned_ twelve more Narutos and half of them all had those orbs in their hands.

Three of them used the sphere as a ball and kicked it into the air. The catapult of his _legs_ sent the sphere of Tenzou above the treetops.

The other Narutos had this relentless torrent of kicks and punches against Tenzou's wooden structure. The barrier of wood could no longer stand the waves of assault. And chunks of Tenzou's technique fell as his real body was revealed.

Instead of those orbs chewing into the real flesh of Tenzou. Tenzou's body was dragged around like a rag doll under the mercy of those orbs.

Finally, Naruto crushed his _huge_ blue orb into Tenzou's chest. He called out, "Rasengan!"

Tenzou spun into the ground and made a creator the size of a small house.

The wave of dust almost got in Hinata's eye but Naruto was in front of her, shaking her arms. "Hi-chan, are you alright?"

Hinata could only look between the fallen man and Naruto's hands. She reached out to feel them. Was he okay?

"We don't have time!" Naruto panted, for some reason droopy.

He picked Hinata up, wooshing them away. Hinata couldn't even see what was happening. But she was cradled into his _chest_. In his arms that were injured. He was also hauling all of those bags they had.

"Naruto-kun! Your arm, why are you-" _carrying me_ , Hinata didn't get to finish her sentence.

He grit his teeth. "You don't run all that fast! We gotta catch up if this idiot stopped BEING SO ANNOYING!"

He carried her until they saw that Sister Ino had stopped the cart and controlled the horses. She slowed those beasts down into a stealthy crawl. Hinata heard distant curses and shouts of fury from the blonde.

Sister Ino wasn't having an easy time. Hinata couldn't be _annoyed_ but Naruto tossed her inside of the cart. He was ignoring the pain. All of it.

A tired, subdued Naruto jumped into the back of the carriage. He threw the bags of stuff behind them into the hay, his whole body swayed like a tree in strong winds.

"Did you save the ramen?" asked Naruto, having trouble lifting his dizzy head.

Hinata nodded, watching him be disoriented and tired. Blood didn't spew out of his wound. It trickled like a demonic waterfall down his arm.

"All of everything is safe, Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered.

"I saved us," he coughed.

"I saw."

"Thank..." Naruto crashed into her arms, snoring when his chin made contact with the crook of her shoulder.

"Is he alright?" Sister Ino asked worriedly from the front of the carriage.

Hinata nodded. She slowly wrapped her arms around him. He should be. He really should be.

* * *

The carriage jostled peacefully and the horses made seldom neighs. The ride was bumpy but nothing too excessive. They had all of their bags, Sister Ino's leg was wrapped, Naruto was safe and everything was there.

Sister Ino was jealous as Naruto's head rested on Hinata's lap as she dabbed at his wounds. He had many splinters he ignored.

"What?" Hinata asked.

Sister Ino glared at the packs in the cart and at Naruto's sleeping form.

Sister Ino focused her confusion and anger at Hinata's face. "It's not that easy with Naruto and I or me and the world. You have it easy with everything," sighed Ino.

"Huh? My life isn't _easy_!" Hinata's rage was pinching her heart.

Everything about her life _was_ hard.

Sister Ino opened her mouth then closed it. "Whatever."

"It isn't whatever. We're all in the same boat. We all have the same issues now," Hinata sighed.

"At least Naruto is on your side." she rolled her eyes.

"He protected you, he cares about you!" Hinata whispered. She couldn't wake up the driver and Naruto stirred a bit.

"He was only fighting to save you, he couldn't care less about me!"

Hinata doesn't know why they had so many problems! She didn't know their history or why she found it hard to look into those eyes of Ino. They were like blue gems sinking into a clear ocean.

"We shouldn't fight..." Hinata whispered, tracing his blonde hair.

Naruto... He slept so deeply, his inhalations were spread so far apart Hinata was nervous for him. That amount of tranquillizer would _kill_ an elephant. It merely knocked Naruto out. He has a beast within him. Hinata was grateful instead of appalled.

"Your name's Hinata, right?" Sister Ino sighed. "I don't know what came over me when I said- _that_."

"It's senseless to fight amongst ourselves when we have the same enemies," Hinata said, looking up at the woman. "Don't you think?"

"Naruto doesn't let me hold him anymore," she huffed.

"Weren't you guys... close?"

Sister Ino nodded. "He hates me. I don't know _why_? We argue like we used to. I still hit him like I used to. And he yells like he used to. Now he just hates me. Doesn't he remind you of a ramen-loving pet dog you wanna cuddle all day?"

Hinata laughed. "I think he looks more like a... fox. Save for the brown eyes, he reminds me of a mischevious, albeit loud fox."

She rustled around in her pack and brought out a thick book. "I don't got Naruto anymore but brought a _second_ bible. At least I have that." she hugged the bible.

"Oh," Hinata shrugged. "I don't think Naruto-kun nor I will ever touch one of those things again."

"Why not?" asked Sister Ino. "It reminds me of my mother."

That's exactly why Hinata holds disdain for it. Sister Hera doesn't leave a good aftertaste. Sister Ino wouldn't be able to bear the news that both Naruto and Hinata _hated_ her mother. Sister Hera was also the one who _kicked_ them out for no reason.

Instead of giving Sister Ino a reason to holler, Hinata gave a small shrug. "It brings back bad memories."

Ino sighed. "The Adventurers on the outskirts of town aren't as ferocious as the ones in the Capital. The Empire is big but they're everywhere, coming to kill us for our sins. I also know that those Adventurers are going to come back for me."

" _Us_ ," Hinata corrected lightly. Sister Ino blinked in confusion. "You're apart of a team, remember?"

"Yeah." Sister Ino shrunk a bit. "The Adventurer said we made an enemy of the crown, does this mean we're criminals now?"

Hinata looked at the girl. Yeah. It does. Orphans to criminals. There isn't a difference. She couldn't break Sister Ino with that news.

"Sleep. Don't think about heavy things right now, alright?" Hinata smiled.

Sister Ino eyed her and Naruto. "Don't hold him for too long, alright? Don't irritate his wounds and check his breathing. The fool forgets to do that and-"

"I won't forget..." Hinata nodded. Apprehension still swam in the currents of Ino's eyes. She really loved him.

"Sleep. _Please_. I'll take the first shift."

"But-"

"I'll do it. I will knock you out if you don't get your rest, and heal that ankle, Clementine Ino or _else_ ," Hinata said with a smile. She meant it.

"I know we don't get along but you do with him, so just... protect him." Sister Ino said.

Hinata looked up. "Alright." She tattooed the words on her resolve. "I will." That was a promise.

Even Sister Ino felt it.

Sister Ino stifled her concern and fell silently compliant when a yawn passed by.

"Fine." Sister Ino surrendered.

Sister Ino slumped into a slumber while Hinata thought of it all.

* * *

-End Chapter-


	4. Chapter Three: Politicians

**Bellenero:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 3-  
Politicians

* * *

SHIKAMARU HATES HIS FAMILY EVEN MORE THAN MONEY.

If Shikamaru had a dollar every time politicians annoyed him, he'd have the same amount of money the Nara clan possessed. More famously known as the Rue Nara Guild, they had gold and money.

And it'll fall into Shikamaru's measly lap in just a little. Fuck.

In this world, money meant nothing, especially when the people you cared about was dying. Nothing could save the man. Well, nothing that could be bought.

Tensions were high since it seemed like either the Hebi guild led by Orochimaru, Shikamaru's own guild (the Rue Nara guild) or the Black Mantis guild owned by the Aburame and the millions of others who hate the Rue Nara guild could have killed Neji.

Shikamaru wasn't dumb and he knew Neji died at the hands of a mercenary in the Rue Nara guild. He was getting too close to the truth, just like all other Hyuuga.

"He died." Sasuke whimpered. Sasuke tried to sound strong but he wanted nothing more than to cry.

At least, to a normal person, Sasuke seemed like cold granite on a winter night but Shikamaru knew better. Sasuke wouldn't cry in front of Shikamaru. Sasuke's ego wouldn't survive that blow either.

Neji, Kakashi and Sasuke were the three men Shikamaru could stand. Every other person was a lost cause. Kakashi already jumped ship so, yeah, Shikamaru couldn't stand the guy anymore.

Sasuke basically grew up with Shikamaru but man, Sasuke can have a one-track mind.

Shikamaru's father Nara Shikaku was the main advisor to King Uchiha Fugaku. Shikaku was also the Guild Master Supreme. Most people called Shikaku _Supreme_ or _Guild Master._

Shikamaru didn't think he deserved either, to be honest. It would be unbearable to call his old man Supreme, so Shikamaru called his father Guild Master. The Guild Master Supreme was the representative of all guilds who live and thrive in the Capital of the Empire.

In history, as men are proud and hungry for control, a power-struggle occasionally appears between the monarchs and the guilds that inhabit this decaying land. This power struggle between the Guild Master and the King has escalated to beyond manageable heights.

Sasuke doesn't even know that there's a problem and his royal father is slowly losing the loyalty of the magic ministry and losing numbers to the Rue Nara guild.

Sasuke never got along with his family so they don't tell him things. Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, scorned him. His royal father ignored his existence and his older brother Itachi was the star pride of the Uchiha guild...

It is rumoured that Sasuke won't even be considered for the position king or any position in the kingdom. Sasuke doesn't know the exact reason why he is the laughingstock of the Empire's Monarchy/Guild government.

Sasuke is a problem child. His sharingan was powerful. He would be better as a tool than a ruler. Because _that's_ all a man's good for in this stupid society.

Shikamaru felt bad for the kid but he won't tell him. That would send future events collapsing before Shikamaru could steady the dominoes.

If Sasuke did know, he would rampage and burn the city to smithereens. Shikamaru would light his cigarette on Sasuke's flames but sigh because of how much more fragile he the economy, the buildings of the Empire and the nerves of the Rue Nara become.

Sasuke was stupidly equipped with one of the strongest sharingans in history but he seldom uses it. Either Tenten (a bitchy bodyguard of Uchiha Sasuke with the emotional range of celery) deals with the problems Sasuke has or he has Kakashi fucking scare them away.

And Neji would always coddle Sasuke.

Shikamaru fucking missed Neji and felt the weight of his friend's death. It was his fault. If Shikamaru had thought of a way to distract Neji from the government, stopped him from confronting the Guild Master about the oncoming massacre that will occur then Neji would be alive! _Alive_.

The Rue Nara want to be in control when the next Apocalypse occurs. Neji was about to warn the Uchiha Monarchs, including the Hyuuga that the Rue Nara were planning on killing ALL OF THEM.

He was assassinated because he wanted to change the way guilds had more power than the monarchy. He wanted to restore the Empire to something great. He always spoke of how fate held him back, how fate shouldn't bow in submission to the wrong king.

And he's wrong for doing that now.

If Neji had shared his plans, he could have died on another fucking hill.

"Yeah," Shikamaru shrugged.

Sasuke felt the smoke tangle in his lungs. Neji was the best of them. He actually wanted to change this society and make it move places. That's what got him killed. His eyes were too wide and all-seeing before the Rue Nara killed him.

Shikamaru's blood boiled. Any fucking time that his father or clan were involved, someone fucking died. Neji died. On his birthday, which makes it stomach-churning and even worse.

"Neji was a good guy. And they killed him," Sasuke inhaled, coughing at all the smoke. "You know who did this, right?"

Shikamaru nodded, slumping against the wall. Guild Master always told him to never slump on a wall. A real man's posture is as tall as his resolve. Is that why Guild Master always spoke like he was seven fucking feet tall?

"Politicians." Shikamaru said.

Rue Nara politicians. His politicians. Guild Master's politicians.

Politics come in and leave a dignified man sucking a promotion out of someone else's cock. Shikamaru hates them. If he could live without a government, in the mountains someplace, he would survive with happiness. Maybe he'd visit every now and then to get some packs of cigars. See a woman or two, come back for rum and smoke. The mountains were safe and his friends wouldn't die all the time.

"Don't go complaining about the government, they'll knock you," Shikamaru breathed out a plume of smoke.

"What does that matter to you?" Sasuke glared at him, all dramatic and moody.

Sasuke was a damned dramatic guy. He threw tantrums, tried to act all cool but he was just a flower blown away by a fucking sneeze. Sasuke was never monitored, both of them, actually. King Fugaku was too busy ruling a kingdom to care about his second son, Mikoto didn't like dealing with Sasuke's tantrums.

Shikamaru's mom cared too much. He never liked having women help him, too much, so it was okay. Sasuke wasn't okay.

"Man, shut up-" Shikamaru started but noises interrupted him.

This was a private hallway. Mages were at the entrances, who would come in so recklessly? A bunch of clunky Rue Nara doctors with medical boxes and special sealing containers came down the hallway.

Sasuke drew his swords on the Rue Nara doctors. Sasuke was in a defensive stance. His brows furrows, arms ready for slashes and expression colder than ice.

"Don't touch Neji," said Sasuke, simply growling with his aggression and killing-intent.

Shikamaru's guildmates stared at the prince. This standstill with the tension and shifty eyes and drawn swords was commonplace.

Nara Roy said,"Move, we must collect the best Neji's-"

"Neji's not a thing to collect. He was a man who had twice the decency than you!" Sauske hissed.

"He has twice the decency on the table where his corpse lays."

Sasuke just about lost it and charge forward at the once cocky, rude doctors who wanted to burrow in their shells like cowards.

Though Shikamaru has respect for doctors, most of them have big talk and big words while they bark but have no bite.

Shikamaru controlled their shadows, letting out a pile of smoke.

Shikamaru could always feel at one within the shadows, where he sees the light shining. He controls the darkness, so the darkness bends to his will. Anything that is caught in his shadow was stuck. They were fazed into stillness. It's a nice magic type to wield as everyone around him are prone to starting fights with one step at a time.

The three idiots were in this frozen picture frame. Sasuke's sharingan was blazing with threat and the two were cowering. They all struggled in their plastered positions.

"If you want to fuck around and start an insult, go on and finish your sentence like a man," Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

Toshiba (tall, stupid and a doctor) and Roy (blonde, stupid and more stupid) both swallowed their words.

"Got nothing to say?" Shikamaru murmured around his cigarette.

All he's seen are losers in Rue Nara start fights with the Monarch guild (the Uchiha and Hyuuga, the dojutsu-only club) nowadays. Even though Rue Nara has engulfed Monarch into their black hole, King Fugaku has no ability to quell the conflicts that occur between his conflicting clan.

The King and the Guildmaster must cooperate or else all falls into chaos. These doctor goons AND Sasuke don't improve those chances. Hell, no one did!

Toshiba grimaced, shuddering. His trembling was audibly heard as his hold on his medical toolbox clinked and clattered.

"Rue Nara don't treat their own like this." The tall, lanky Toshiba with curled black hair and hazel eyes demanded. Toshiba always spoke like someone was squeezing his balls. It was uncomfortable to listen to this idiot.

"Eh. Sasuke is apart of Rue Nara," Shikamaru shrugged.

The three glared at each other like children.

"Monarchs like the Uchiha and Hyuuga _are_ slowly losing their hold. It's a wonder you guys haven't been wiped out of Capital." Toshiba said.

Sasuke bristled. "You Rue Nara dicks have brains but no way to fight. When it comes down to it, Nara can't protect anyone but their money! Us Monarchs have dojutsu. We'll save lies during the demon's wake." Sasuke retorted.

"You aren't special because of your eyes. You have no allies. That's what it comes down to during the Apocalypse." Roy said.

"Show me the strength of Rue Nara, punk. Prove my point!" Sasuke yelled. Sasuke's blade swung around and almost sliced Toshiba's neck. Toshiba gulped at the small pinprick. "I thought so." Sasuke said coldly.

"Lord Shikamaru, do something about this bastard Monarch!" Toshiba cried nervously.

Lord Shikamaru. How Shikamaru hated being a slave to that title. Shikamaru couldn't magic away all these fools' conflicts. In fact, he didn't want to.

Shikamaru yawned. The clouds looked especially enticing today. Why did he have to sift through a Guild Master's problems? Shikamaru never wanted to act like his father and service a guild while fixing their brawls. He just didn't want to be his father. Fuck that.

"You know what. I'm feeling generous. I don't want to regulate your fights. Deal with it amongst yourselves." Shikamaru said, waving them away.

"Nara, I like the way you think," said Sasuke as he set his jaw. His steady sword almost sliced their heads off.

"Yeah?" Shikamaru sighed.

Why was Sasuke always killing Rue Nara, he will get restrained like an idiot.

And so, release.

Shikamaru released his jutsu. Roy and Toshiba let out squeaks and shirked away, in another direction. Their tool boxes and the glass container Roy held went flying.

Roy was more concerned for the glass container and Toshiba cared more about the furious Uchiha going to slice his voice box out. Nonetheless, they both closed their eyes after falling to the ground, bracing themselves. However, Shikamaru seized control again and the two weren't sliced open.

"Oh. Merciful Lord Shikamaru, thank you!" Toshiba whispered with hiccups of fear in his voice.

Roy was too shocked to say anything.

"Get out of here before Sasuke feels like beating you to a pulp," Shikamaru sighed.

Both Toshiba and Roy nodded. They skittered off as if their tails were on fire. Sasuke glared at Shikamaru with a grimace cut out on his face.

"It's convenient that his byakugans are being cut out right now by Uncle's goons." Uchiha continued, gritting his white teeth.

Uncle was Shikamaru's father...

"Don't blame me. I have no power. That room is a place for men with suits." Shikamaru said.

"I can say whatever I damn hell want, Nara."

"If you keep on yapping, the goons will come out and take you too. The council already doesn't like you. Don't give them more reasons."

"Fuck off, Nara." Sasuke rolled his eyes, folding his arms.

This annoyed Shikamaru.

"Seriously, Uchiha. I'll have two friends dead over my birthday weekend. Do you want that?" Shikamaru accused.

Sasuke looked guilty. "Oh shit. I forgot. Happy birthday." Sasuke mellowed out. He clapped Shikamaru on the shoulder.

Shikamaru brushed off Sasuke's arms. "Nothing happy about this," Shikamaru shrugged. "We can get smokes after this, my village dealer has some. Maybe a druid'll bother me about it," Shikamaru laughed.

"Do you only think about smoking?" Sasuke scoffed.

"I think about rum too," Shikamaru shrugged.

Sasuke laughed and laughed until he had to wipe away a tear. He shoved Shikamaru's shoulder. "Don't make me laugh so close to a fucking funeral," he coughed.

Shikamaru paused. Sasuke didn't know that he wouldn't be allowed to the funeral, right? He decided not to tell him. The boy's been through enough. Instead, they walked out of the government building and got out to the streets of the Capital. When they entered the bustling street ways, everyone bowed to Shikamaru instead of Sasuke, which was a problem.

He prayed that Sasuke wouldn't notice. He never much cared for God, though, so of course the brat noticed.

* * *

Hinata woke up to heavy breathing. She hadn't meant to crack an eye open. Naruto was passed out. Hinata was also previously passed out as well until a certain hiss of pleasure was heard.

Wh- she was supposed to have the first shift! She fell asleep. Damn it. That gave her a little motivation to move a bit.

Her spit was tacky and her muscles were cement. Oh god. Her head. Her legs. Her feet. They all protested against this all. Hinata blinked away the acute blurriness then swallowed a gasp.

He- he wasn't meant to be here.

Oh. Crabs.

A large shadow loomed over Sister Ino's unconscious form. She seemed to have woken up before Hinata has. She had a head wound with blood trickling down her red cheek.

What? Is... happening?

The boorish man's face was covered in shadows but the weapon he had was akin to a night star in the secrecy. A knife was in one hand and a pumping hand was in front of the man.

Every second breath of hers was like an insult to her nostrils. The man smelled awful with his rag-like clothing. They were woven with tar and had rotten fruit as perfume. He was a bag of flesh and muscle, standing at a herculean height, with even more rolls and lumps.

He was masturbating over Sister Ino and making noises.

The back of the compartment was small and the horses rode on at an accelerated pace. When Hinata shifted, Naruto stirred, having found a comfortable pillow as her lap.

Just as she stared at the scene, she realized that the man couldn't hear her. He was too far gone. Too far gone. Horror and inaction seeped into her bones, like a second skeleton.

Hinata gently shrugged Naruto's body off with careful attention. No sudden movements. No sudden movements. None at all.

Then, Sister Ino stirred with a low bemoan of pain.

"Shut up bitch!" the stranger hissed.

"What are you doing to my teammate, coachman?" Hinata whispered, her voice surprisingly thick with intimidation.

The man's back curled, his muscles tightening up and scrunching together in shock. "Uh. Uh-"

"Tell me, what are you doing to my teammate?"

He twisted around, with blank surprise. Then guilt morphed itself onto his face. His frog-like eyes raced from side to side, her face and the back of the cart. He doesn't look guilty, actually. He was high-strung because he got caught.

Before Hinata knew what she was doing- her body moved before her mind caught up. She somehow moved Naruto off of her lap and she held something; her weapons! The handle of the swords was gripped tightly and the weight was anchoring her.

The man skirted to the left, to the entrance of the cart.

The lumps of fat jumped when he gulped. "Miss-" he crowed, his voice oddly deep and disheartened.

But she didn't want to hear his pleads. She wanted to hear a reason.

Hinata charged, leading with her sword. She ultimately kicked the man's thick swamp-like chest. Her foot sunk in for a moment before he catapulted backward, groaning out loud upon impact.

She drove him away and he reeled back even further, on his fours. He was going to a clearing. The brittle weeds and plants carpeting the ground were cracking under his actions. The trees were menacing in their gnarled heights and postures. The stars hid their fires too. It was dark and all animals scattered away, making this awful sense of foreboding.

"Let me ask again, what have you done to my teammate!" Hinata demanded. "Tell me!"

His lip was red; he bit it when he fell. "Miss- let's get this through, I was goin' uh play with'er for a little. She's jus' so perfect an' blondie. I ne'er hurt her."

Hinata jumped off of the cart's wooden platform and the man

He licks his leathery lips, "You see, I'm gettin' old an' I wanted a fresh, young face to hold. She's so beautiful. An angel, if ya really look close."

Hinata wasn't having any of it. She stood two metres away. "She is a woman of God! She swore herself to the church. You will not and can not take that away." Hinata pointed her sword at his neck

"She's close tuh God, eh, pretty high up there. Well, miss beauty, the higher the fruit, closer to the sun, the sweeter the juice," blood stained his fiendish smile.

He starts laughing at Hinata's horror-stricken expression. His chuckles rattle her until he suddenly stopped the awful sound.

He spat a gout of blood and wobbled onto his feet. "If yer so chaffed 'bout me gettin' my pleasure, I would have to get rid of ya. I will, since women exist just to serve men like me, right? That's what God made you all for." He steadied himself.

Then his eyes were empty and black, like the galaxy above with that sinister scrawl-like laughter. He lunged, his weight thrusting forward with a speed someone of that mass shouldn't possess. He overwhelmed her for a moment, but she had enough sense to swing her sword at his outstretched paw.

She expected him to yield; to flinch; to duck away but he didn't! He grabbed her sword by the blade and yanks. Hard.

Oh, crabs.

She heaved forward -air-borne- and her cheek collided with his fist. The whiplash from being punched was a distraction to how he tossed both swords in the opposite direction. A spiderweb of pain weaved its way through her.

Hinata was stuck, a fresh bruise fluorescent with its colour.

Whiteness consumed her vision and the air was knocked out of her. She didn't have the time to keen with a cry. He slammed her to the ground. Between all the punces, the trounces and pummels, she was bewildered she wasn't in more agony when the kicks came. He was a beast, clawing at her skin, trying to get her heart with those hits.

But she jerked her knee up, striking him in his jewels twice and he cried with a foul curse. He was grinning through the hurts, still with a ferocity.

"Bitch! Don't try tuh get away! I'll have ya fore'er in my den, you'll cook then you'll clean when I'm done with my angel o'er there, eh." hissed the man, holding his stomach.

He's distracted- she could, she has to get her swords. Ah. Her cheek and stomach stung, like sliding down a carpet with razor blades. Hinata scrambled, her nails digging into the dirt and wet earth for anything. She saw her swords- they were right there!

He didn't toss them away too far- she was almost there.

Just when she thought she would attain her goal, his sausage fingers grasped her ankle and pulled. Pulled her skidding leg. "You're not gettin' away so easy!" he snapped, his hand was slick with blood and it was on her ankle. "I'm not done wit' ya."

The other heel was not caught so she whipped over and transfixed him by shoving her strength into one kick right under his jawline. That did little for a moment but he was spitting away another spray of thick blood.

He dropped a club-like fist on her chest and fell forward. He almost straddled her but she kept on squirming. He kneeled, a table above her, with his features shadowed.

He couldn't get her arms still, though, and he thought it was useless.

"Ya remind me of Bellenero, the pretty queen with your pretty eyes, they ought to sell for a pretty profit, pretty girl. I'm gonna keep you! Yer mine!" his eyes glowed with triumph, suddenly malevolent.

Oh, crabs! Her heart beat quickly and she was trembling in fear. Fear.

Pretty eyes? Hinata flailed her arms until something dull poked her arm. It sent a jolt through her. It was a stick. She held it at her side. He couldn't see her, properly, if she was real careful.

His eyes darkened, once again, as his leer filled with lust.

His tone took a lower pitch. He was a pig and a dog, mouth salivating. "You must be apart of them Hyuuga- up at the Capital. Someone must be lookin' for you. Well, your eyes. They wouldn't mind getting different parcels of ya, doncha think, Bellenero?" he laughed, releasing it into the atmosphere like bubbles of poisonous gas from a potion. "Isn't that romantic, girl? You'll belong to me in life and you'll be mine in death. I'll keep you!"

Hinata rolled her face over, inhaled a bunch of leaves and spat them in his ugly, round, face. The leaves tasted like mud and murky water but it would do for ammo. He reeled his face back, clawing at his open mouth, the apple of his cheeks and forehead.

"You better learn respect when I am your keeper!" he roared.

Hinata lifted the stick and broke the branch in two with jagged edges.

"I think you'd want to keep your eye instead!" she yelled.

Hinata multitasked; one end of the stick stabbed into his eye and one in his shoulder. The left side of his face was shiny with gore and a river of blood and she launched from the ground to her feet. The man waved his arms, confused. He didn't know whether or not to tend to his eye or his shoulder with sticks poking inside of his body!

Satisfaction was a mineral, tinny taste in her mouth as she got her swords. This fight was over and she survived.

Her heart was a drum and she- _she_ was alive. She was going to run away. She was going to run! He would be left there and that would be his responsibility.

That was enough. He's lying there, _enough_. Enough! Why wouldn't he stay down?! Due to the will of vengeance or revenge, he got on his feet once more.

She had enough and took off. He followed her, gaining speed until he threw something that lodged into her spine.

She momentarily stopped and twirled around, since she saw his shadow behind her limping form.

She leaped beside him and shoved him against a nearby tree.

She elicited a growl from his lips. That was all she did as he pinned her in his gaze.

"You bitch! You bitch! You bitch! You're just like your wretched mother!" he snarled.

Mother?

For some reason, she paused when she dipped and dove away from his clumsy attacks. Bellenero? Does he know her mother? Hyuuga? Why did he want her eyes?

Should he die?

She hesitated.

And that _costed_ her. For a moment. He was still trying so hard and was still so strong that it undid her confidence and froze her fury.

But he got close. Close enough to grab her again but he was too slow, the speed from earlier gone. "You're going tuh pay! Be a woman. Be what God made you for." he sneered with a cold command. He lurched forward, his one good arm coming at her.

Not again! Not this time! Never a time again!

Hinata side-stepped his newest jab.

Her two swords took control. One came down in a chop and dug into his arm. The other was in motion, the momentum and instinct shocking her.

She turned on her heel, all the rage, all the confusion and all the violence in her thrust forward. The blade into his chest.

"God made me to kill anyone who touched my teammate. God made me to kill you!" Hinata whispered harshly.

With determination and a battle cry, Hinata pushed her sword through his body. It made a sickening squelch and she hated the relief that came with it. The silver of her blade was gone. Blood was on her skin. His skin. Her sword.

His growls and hisses were like a mighty current, beating its way into her confidence but it trickled now. His body slumped in despair as his inners were cleaved. His heart was cut...

With a fell gaze, he whispered; "Bellenero..." within his last breath.

Her vision was black around the edges. Red tinted everything.

Warmth oozed onto her, and for a horrible second, she thought it was relief. But it spread and dripped down. Off of her. It pooled too. Her mind engaged in what her body was up to and she was still holding something.

Ah- her sword. She pulled it out without thinking when she jumped back. She hadn't realized she held his weight.

He was dead. And her hands were red. That was blood. That was blood soaking into her already stained clothing. She... killed a man.

She can't breathe. Something's suffocating her. Can't breathe.

She killed a man. She... killed him. She killed him. A lightning bolt of cold and dread paralyzed her.

Can't breathe.

It smelled like silver- no iron was lodged in her nostrils because all she smelled was tin and iron. The metal. Her swords.

She could only taste blood.

Hinata stared at her bloody hands with swords. She couldn't see anything but red. She couldn't hear anything but red gushing. She couldn't smell anything but red iron.

She didn't want to smell this blood. Why was there so much?

Will... Will this ever get off? She rubbed her hand- oh God, the blood was cold now. She wiped it on her pants but they were wet, so it was like water washing off water- impossible.

Her knees locked up.

 _What- what have I done_? Hinata cried in her mind. Then, she heard a sound- was that the man trying to haunt her? Then footsteps. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Still can't breathe.

Everything got locked in her lungs.

Then, his face filled her view. Naruto. His garnet brown skin in the dark, his gold hair and cerulean aquamarine eyes. Why does he look off colour?

Hinata tripped forward, gushing out words. She looked down at the body and back at Naruto's face. His features schooled into something unrecognizable when he saw the body-

 _Oh, no, nope, Hinata,_ her mind corrected her, _That is a corpse. You killed him. He is not a body. He is a dead man._

"I- he, he was trying to, uh, Sister Ino. He's dead!" Hinata jumbled up her muttered words. She couldn't look at either of them right now!

But he was calm; he was quiet; he was observant too. She looked up because looking at her hand gave her grief.

"I know. I saw." he advanced to her since he was near the corpse. She hadn't realized she got that far away from the body.

And there's that smell again. Tears blocked her throat and she's seeing him in red and burgundy and red.

He was really close, observing her.

Her words were like knives, her knives, piercing into her. "Naruto-kun, it smells like iron and mercury and metal, like. Like blo-"

"Yeah, Hi-chan, it's gonna smell like metal 'cause you got these big ol' swords in your paws, right?" Naruto grabbed her wrists, tenderly, watching her every flinch and expression on her face.

Hinata was covered in blood. "Na-Naruto-kun?" She tried moving her hands away but he persisted. "I'm dirty! Can't you see, don't touch my arms!"

Her hands were vices clamped onto the two sword's pommels. Her fingers were cold and numb. Will she ever feel?

"Nah. You're good," he whispered with that calm smile.

He forcefully removed her swords and looked at her. He's smiling at her; why was he smiling at her? His teeth were diamonds in the flesh. Why was he smiling? At her? He can't smile at a thing like her!

"How about we go back to the cart and you know, make a campfire?" he suggested.

Hinata dropped her gaze to her flexing fingers. "You have to leave me behind. Take Sister Ino and go. I can't go on."

"Why not?" he whined. "This place gives me the creeps."

"I can't! Not with who I am now! I am a monster!" Hinata whispered.

"You remember who you are, Hi-chan?" Naruto poked her cheek then wiped away what blood was there.

"Yeah. A monster!" Hinata said bitterly.

"Nope." he objected with a sigh. "No, you aren't."

"I am!" Hinata insisted, pushing on his arms.

"Wrong. Try again," interjected Naruto.

"Naruto! I'm a killer-"

"Boo! Try again. Who are you?" he asked loudly.

"I... I don't know." Hinata choked up, her eyes throbbing with bitterness and burns.

"Really? You're Hi-chan to me. You should be Hinata to yourself, y'know?"

"How? How do you think I am not a monster?" Hinata demanded. Her voice broke.

Damn emotions. Damn life. Damn him. She was weak now and her body couldn't hold up anymore. She didn't want to anymore.

"You did what you had to do. Nothing more. Nothing less. That's how I know you're just right," he whispered. Then he patted her head. "Just right."

She doesn't know what to say to that, and a sob escaped her mouth. She cupped a dirty hand over her mouth to stop the sound when it was too late and she was falling.

He caught her. For some reason.

She sunk to the ground and he fell with her. They sat there for what seemed hours. He rocked her back and forth. Like the sea, endless in its resolve and duty to the moon. He was dedicated to soothing her right now.

Flashes of her reaction, her instincts when encountering the rapist came about. Why was she like this? He was a rapist but he also was a man. A human. She... she can't take back her actions.

"You were just protecting someone. I'd have done the same for you," he whispered into her ear. "You protected Maid."

"It's just not right! He called me Bellenero! Bellenero. Apparently, he knew my mother and I ki-killed him!"

"Hi-chan," Naruto whispered. "You are not a bad person."

"Well, I'm not a good one either." Hinata pulled away, her face snotty and tone unusually nasal. She hid her eyes and shiny cheeks. "Can you bring Sister Ino, I want to know if she's okay."

He looked at her face then sighed. "You want to stay here-"

She inhaled and the blood was on her face and clothing. "I just. I just want to be alone..."

His eyes skated all over her face, weary and hesitant but he smiled. "Welp, you're not stayin' here, that's for sure."

"Huh? I can't really-"

"I'll be your legs," Naruto leaned down then picked her up as if she were a leaf and he was wind. She weighed nothing to him.

He picked up the swords and she realized he changed clothes. His silk orange clothing was exchanged for an orange shirt and blue pants. And he picked up their swords too.

When he moved her, her whole body protested. Pain raced up her limbs and chest. Her face hurt so much.

He didn't let her protest when he trudged through the dense forest, the ground was less manageable and more crowded with wildlife. He put her down and said he'd go look for firewood. She turned away from him, wanting to change.

She's already gone through so many clothes. Metal and discomfort were in the thickness of her mouth as she groggily pulled herself up.

 ** _No-nose, you could hear me, right?_** A voice impaled her thoughts and rang around like the Sunday church bells.

This time, the sound wasn't welcomed nor familiar. It was new and filled with menace in its imposing rasps.

"Huh? I can hear you. Who are you? Reveal yourself!" Hinata said loudly.

Not again? Was Sister Ino okay?

Who was there? Were they trying to kill her? Who was a No-nose? She looked all around her. Nothing but tall trees with umbrellas of darkness. Sister Ino was in the cart, she was out here and now some strange thing was talking to her!

Has... she gone crazy?

 ** _You are all arrogant creatures while the superior beings are of my race, the Alpoje wolves,_** the voice continues. It's blunt and threatening, and loud.

Huh? Alpoje wolves. What?

 ** _How do you not know what wolves are? Are you trying to be stupid?_** the voice demanded, upset.

Hinata was shocked. Who does this wolf think he is? How does he think he could belittle her? She doesn't even know where he was- or if it was a him?

 _I know what wolves are! Stop being rid- WAIT, you're a wolf?_ Hinata said to herself.

 ** _Yes. I thought we were past this._**

"You have an uppity way of speaking, I don't like it." Hinata sighed to herself. This is getting creepy!

 ** _I don't like No-noses, so we are even, Bellenero._**

A cold feeling gutted her. The man called her Bellenero. Did... was this wolf his ghost?! Urgh. Why was everything so strange?!

"My name isn't Bellenero. It's Hinata. Why are you speaking to me, Alpoje Wolf-san?" asked Hinata to the endless abyss the sultry, cold place the forest was.

 ** _You do realize that I am speaking directly into your mind? Or you're slow like all humans?_** The wolf asked slyly.

Hinata looked all around her. It did seem so. "Why? I... I don't think this is normal whatsoever!"

 ** _Focus on me, no-nose! I am stuck. I am in dire need of aid. You no-noses have those opposable thumbs!_**

"What makes you sure I am human?" Hinata shrugged. "If all you know, I could be a worm or a _snake_!"

 ** _You clueless humans ask dumb, clueless questions like that._**

"What? What have I said wrong?" Hinata frowned. This animal seemed unimpressed with her since his voice entered her frazzled mind.

Hinata didn't get an answer but a whine, a whimper of extreme and delicate pain. She swerved her head to the left, staring out into the black night.

"Where are you, Alpoje Wolf-san?" Hinata scanned the horizon.

 ** _Just follow your instincts, kitling. I am facing your direction now. Come follow your senses, alright? You no-noses can manage a little bit of that, at a time, of course._ The wolf's tone was oddly inspirational, for some reason. Though there was the occasional mockery.**

Hinata shuddered. Going forward or backwards was hard since her mind was muddy. She couldn't dedicate her mind to one single line of authentically cohesive thought.

But she went forward, stepping over roots and rocks and overgrown weeds until she was greeted by a form, a dark mass of fur, teeth and intelligent blue eyes.

Why do all of her companions have blue eyes? It's a trend.

However beautiful the wolf's eyes were, his coat was glossy and sparse moonlight highlighted its coarseness. Some of his fur was coated in blood as the thick substance was on his front left leg.

A trap he was caught in.

He stared at her, ears at full height with his snout pointed towards her. He paid rapt attention and followed her every movement.

A real tracker.

He was... huge and an animal. That reality hit her in the faces when his overly large, almost prehistoric-looking teeth were glinting like a weapon. His whole lean body was a weapon. His height while sitting was about two-thirds of hers.

 ** _Bellenero..._** he whispered in her mind. **_Fear not, if I wanted to kill you, I would have bitten your limbs off to let you bleed. I like watching you fling around and suffer._**

In his jaws, near his beady, sharp eyes, there was no lie.

She gulped and her hands shook. "H-how... did you choose me to help you?" Hinata took a step away, to protect herself.

 _ **You, humans, smell different and worse than other species,**_ the wolf huffed with a raspy disgust laced in his tone. _**Horrible, to be clear**_ **.**

Hinata fought the urge to sniff herself. "Thanks?"

Why did she say that? She can't piss him off! That's not the way it's supposed to go!

 ** _But not you._** the wolf sighed.

Hinata's mouth fell open. "M-me? What's so special ab-about me?"

 ** _From here, you look like my old master. I thought you were her. You wound me. I wanted to return to my pack and there you went, impersonating her. You don't smell the same. She smells like apples and sunshine. The sunflowers that used to grow in the Empire. You smell like old leather and death._**

"Oh. I'm sorry." Hinata shrunk. Now... that's all she will ever smell like. She... killed a man and his blood seeped into her bones, the creases of her hand. She... won't get over this.

The wolf barked his answer. ** _No, kitling. Don't apologize. You smell like death._**

Hinata shifted and darted her gaze away.

 ** _Naturally a born killer,_** the wolf zeroed in on her nervousness. **_Oh, what is this? I smell anxiety on you. Why aren't you proud of your kill?_**

"Because I have never done it before."

 ** _Huh? No-noses are really good at doing that. All of you must've killed before._** He genuinely sounded surprised

"No-noses?" Hinata asked loudly. What was _that_? Who were they?

 ** _Humans. I like to bite your faces off and I won't stop until all of you don't have noses. All humans are no-noses. That's why I call them no-noses. I like human blood. It's salty and I like to bite noses off. I used to hunt you humans until recently._**

"What made you stop?" Hinata asked quietly.

 _ **Life. I met my master.**_ He would have shrugged if he were human.

"What made your master leave?"

 ** _Kitling, you do realize that I could hear your thoughts? It's tiresome not for you to catch on so far into the conversation. Why must I have had chosen such a slow no-nose?_**

Hinata jumped. He could? Why? "What?!"

 _ **Yes. Kitling, try it out. Our conversations would be less suspect and loud if we were to speak mental conversations,** _the wolf explained tiredly and his exhaustion coloured his voice.

Hinata sighed.

 ** _And you would heed to my every need faster._ **The wolf snickered on that last bit.

 _I am not your servant!_ Hinata insisted.

 _ **There you go.** _The wolf grunted.

She didn't say that out loud? She clapped a hand over her mouth. _Oh. I am speaking to you telepathically. From this to Naruto's witchcraft to trees growing at an accelerated rate. I am going to lose my mind._

 ** _Who's to say no-noses haven't been born with something wrong?_ **The wolf shook his head, huffing out of his nostrils. **_My master was the only one who was born right. Who lived right and loved right. Another no-nose wounded her. You all can live without no-noses killing. I will find her killer and eat her killer's nose and liver._**

 _Do you like the taste of noses?_ Hinata tried out the telepathic network, wondering how it functioned. Could other people hear? Is every one of her thoughts private?

 ** _Liver tastes good. Noses taste like that stuff No-noses eat. Crackers? No meat on them. It's a prize. All things must garner a prize. They're like warnings to the lower beings._ **He gave a terrifying smile, his half-lidded expression with terrifying energy around him.

 _You are the alpha, I take it?_ Hinata sighs.

He doesn't answer, instead saying, **_You will be my beta, omega, everything in between if you let me free of this trap._**

 _What is your name?_ Hinata asked randomly.

 ** _Bah! We are not humans. We know each other by scent, by fur and by hunting capabilities. I don't have a name. I would like to be named after fire._ **The wolf shook his head. **_What an odd concept, you wild no-nose. Why the interest?_**

Hinata wrung her hands nervously. _Uh. It'll be easier if we have a communication system and you, uh, have a name. Don't you think it's odd not to have a name? And you named me too. And so, I'll call you Nero._

 _ **Nero?! Why Nero? That makes me sound like a no-nose!** _Nero exploded.

 _Nero, that is the only name I will give you if I help you out, that is what I will address you as._ Hinata smiled.

 _ **You will be mine to command and to heal if you allow me to be free!** _Nero said loudly, trying to get out of her grasp.

Hinata shakes her head. _It doesn't work that way, love. I have companions; Uzumaki Naruto and Clementine Ino... You musn't hurt them. They're no-noses but they are good no-noses._

 _ **Ha. None of you are good. You all are arrogant creatures. My species is the best.** _Nero said resolutely.

 _And we remain to be the arrogant ones?_ Hinata quipped.

 ** _Yes. No-noses are dumb._** He growled. **_NEVER SPOUT THAT NONSENSE, BELLENERO!_**

His voice was thunderous, shaking her bravery out of her like loose baby teeth. It gave her a headache since he was yelling in her mind. The sharp pain almost cracked her skull in two.

Fear got in between all of her atoms. He's never growled at her before. He was mean but that was his personality. It was never directed towards her. And man could Nero look like the top predator he was. Nero's claws were long and thick, perfect knives to leave marks. Deadly marks. His jaw was filled with pure power.

He could kill her.

He looked at her with his icy, glacier for eyes. **_Come forward kitling,_** Nero ordered, tipping his chin closer. His hackle was thick but smaller.

Hinata's chin shot up. _Ne-Nero..._ She stuttered. In her brain. In her thoughts. She couldn't control it!

She eventually swallowed up her instinct to flee and stepped forward, one foot in front of the other, all of her muscles clenched like a fist. Almost like a taut elastic band. However, she gulped, she didn't know when she'd snap.

She could snap.

 ** _If I wanted to wound you, I would have._** He licked her cheek then her neck and back to her cheek _. **You are mine now. I never hurt what is mine.**_

That was an odd promise and her first instinct was to run but she suppressed it.

 _Good to know..._ Hinata leaned down, looking at the trap.

It wasn't easy, but she stared at its metallic components. She was fiddling with it until she felt the weight and warmth of something wonderingly soft. Nero leaned his hairy muzzle on her head. There was a lot of thick fur in his mane, still black, still gorgeous.

 _ **Pack members must protect and support each other, Bellenero. You must understand. To hurt a pack member is to hurt yourself.** _Nero's words vibrated her.

He smelled like the ground they lied in, fresh fur with some petals matted onto his coat. Hinata lifted a trembling hand to his leg and stroked him. _Okay._

 ** _Okay?_** Nero asked.

Hinata swallowed. _Okay, I believe you._

She finally got free later on and he was free. He nuzzled his nose against her cheek then started licking the blood from her hands.

 _What are you doing?_ Hinata squirmed but he growled lightly to keep her still.

 ** _I cannot have you looking like this, Bellenero. That is unacceptable-_**

Oh yeah. She recently killed a man. She recently got all that blood on herself and her clothes. She doesn't want to just forget but she doesn't want to look like this. She really didn't and Nero was acting like it was a choice. She had to kill him!

Hinata sputtered for a reason to tell the animal. Nero was almost eager to punish her. The man just- he just-

 ** _That man's blood has no business on my pack member._** Nero snapped in her mind.

Hinata froze and looked at him. Nero was way more thoughtful than she believed. She allowed him to do what he pleased until he sat back and started licking his own paw, whimpering. They sat in a quiet, raw silence with small animals and the fragile wind blowing by.

There was so much she didn't understand about this creature of the night.

 _ **Oh. Alpoje Wolves are often associated with the devil, Bellenero. We shrink as we consume human blood. Guild Masters and Alpoje wolves never got along and our kind liked murdering no-noses. So, the magic community took action and damned us with this incantation of malice and oppression. It was a curse placed on us by the Guild Masters, a mutation or curse, all of us have received. Our fur sheds colour, our fangs shrink and we lose all that of what made ancestors wolves,** Nero explained warily._

 _What does having gray fur mean?_ asked Hinata.

 ** _That we have killed. That we are impure. That we cannot go to the light since we are too coloured like nothingness. We are of the night, how would we protect ourselves if we were as obvious and blatant as snow? It just isn't safe._**

Hinata ripped off a piece of her already too small shirt and wrapped it around Nero's injured paw. _Love, that really... is awful._

 ** _We were hunted by the Capital. You see my kind getting enslaved to do much of the dirty work. It's quite odd not to have an Alpoje Wolf without silver necklaces._**

 _Oh, do you want accessories?_ Hinata asked as she tied the strip of fabric. _I could get you-_

 ** _Are you mad, Bellenero? Those silver necklaces are apart of the incantation, they kill us. Now they are harmful when near. They cannot harm us when not touching us. Like when I can't smell it or see it, but when it touches our fur, it burns off everything._**

Oh. Hinata felt really stupid. _I'm sorry._ Hinata pressed her nose into his fur. _I'm sorry._

 _ **Don't say that nonsense.**_ Nero scolded.

Hinata looked at him and realized he was way smaller... _Wow. Humans have been cruel..._

 ** _No-noses are the cruellest thing to have happened to any species. Only us drinking five pints can shrink us to the size of nothing. Human bodies contain five pints and they would die if we drank their blood. It's a punishment that links us to you no-noses. I've seen dear betas turn into nothing._**

Hinata observed Nero and his massive size. _Nothing?_

 ** _Yes. However, we can have magic to expand and shrink as we so please_ ,** Nero commented with some odd glee. **_We can be carried, as well._**

 _Wow._ Hinata eyed him for a moment. _Did you inflate yourself to appear scarier?_

Nero wordlessly became smaller until he was in her lap.

 ** _It's all survival,_** Nero growled

 _You look cute-_

 ** _I am not cute!_** He growled. He looked down, withdrawing and self-conscious. **_Does my meagre size deter you from becoming a companion? I am not grown yet but when I am, I will wage war on the Empire itself._**

Hinata picked him up and pressed her forehead to hers. _I would have still taken you if you were the size of a mountain or monster or pebble._ Hinata smiled. _I will help you achieve your dream, Nero._

Nero's blue eyes blinked in discomfort and confusion. **_What?_**

Hinata nodded. _Is that okay?_

 ** _I still don't like you!_ **Nero panicked. **_All no-noses are the same!_**

Hinata shrugged. _Then I will believe I can change to your liking._

 ** _Do not believe in something that cannot happen!_**

 _It's better. I will change, as will you._

Nero didn't have a response for that, instead, he growled and lounged down on her lap with a belligerent huff. He flinched when she tried to stroke his back but she was persistent. She avoided his teeth when he tried to bite her that one time.

However, he relaxed and let her hold him. It was a small submission. Not to power, not to evil or in defeat, it was a slow surrender to the good things to come.

* * *

Later on, Hinata stared at the fire, Sister Ino beside her and Nero on her lap.

Sister Ino's wound stopped bleeding. It almost seemed like nothing happened. But Hinata looked to her hands.

Naruto has done another round of getting wood and kindle and anything that they could eat. He also brought back the soaked bloody, swords back without a speck. Hinata was confused about the night's and day's events.

Sister Hera's kicked them out and she was brave for the first time. Now she has a grumpy, aggressive dog on her lap who has issues with society and people. He likes to bite people's faces off! And not to mention that she killed a person who tried to rape Sister Ino. This was not shaping up to be a good night.

The warmth from the fire shocked her, and she didn't know how cold she was until she wasn't. Why did this have to happen? What has become of her life?

She changed but the blood was still there, no matter how many times Nero licked it away or... Naruto brought her buckets of water, she was still red. She was still a killer.

She leaned against a log while Sister Ino was laying on a sleeping bag. She reached over and stroked Sister Ino's hair.

"I will find a way to protect you all!" Hinata whispered, thinking of Naruto, Nero and Sister Ino. "I promise."

It's all her fault that she will always have a scar.

Naruto stared at her with an easy-going smile. "That's a good promise, ne, Hi-chan."

Naruto stoked the fire, making the surrounding air smell like smoke and pine needles. Hinata looked at him then her hand stopped carding through Nero's fur.

Naruto watched her carefully then frowned at Nero. _**What is this orange idiot fox looking at me for?!** _Nero demanded in her mind.

 _You calling him an idiot is mean!_ Hinata scolded him.

 ** _I called him what I pleased, Bellenero._**

 _A fox?_

 ** _No, an idiot._**

Hinata sighed. Why did he have to be so mean?

Nero sensed her irritation. **_You're slow but he is a fox, I swear, you no-noses can't sense something so basic and trivial._**

 _Oi, that's enough out of you. And I am not slow._ Hinata protested.

 ** _Bellenero, accept that you are slow, that would cause you fewer problems._**

Hinata gasped. _You are so mean!_

 ** _And you are weak-minded. I sense a great power within the fox, you have to catch up. I like him better!_**

"What's that?" Naruto asked loudly before she could form a good rebuttal.

"This is Nero, my pet." Hinata smiled down at Nero. Revenge was sweet!

Nero growled and she held him closer. _ **I am not your pet! I am your equal, no your superior, even! Nero bristled in her mind.**_

Naruto stared across from her, "Awww! Why does he get to lay on your lap?"

Hinata laughed. "Because he is small and cute and cuddly!" Hinata whispered directly into Nero's pained expression.

Hinata found it hard to look at Naruto like some wall has been put between them. She didn't know if she could trust him all that well, too. Could she?

"My hand won't stop shaking since the rapist ca-called me Bellenero," Hinata said lightly.

Naruto gave her an empathetic look and his expression dimmed. "That... is normal."

Normal? Has he killed? She wanted to ask but it was hard to... instead, she looked at the fire. "I am Hinata, well, mostly... but I do not have a last name."

Naruto pouted at her. "Not even a last name?"

Hinata laughed. "Not even that. The coachman said my eyes would sell. People buy Troll eyes at the market, I heard. I wasn't treated as a human... and I am stripped of the decency of a last name..." she sighed. "That's my reality. And I killed a man, so that stripped me of even more. Was it... good that I was born? I am forgotten and now I've erased more of myself!"

Naruto looked at her then clarity struck him. "You can have mine," Naruto offered.

Hinata looked at him. "I can have yours?" Hinata questioned lightly. "The right way?"

Naruto's cheeks burned and he waved his arms frantically. "You can't take my name in that way! We're too young to get married-"

"I'm not saying to get _married_..." Hinata shook her head. "I just need... someone's last name to secure me when we fake documents to get into other towns and... you helped me feel human." Hinata sighed sadly. "I would have asked Sister Ino but she is related to Sister Hera and no one wants to poison their bloodline with traces of that witch."

Naruto laughed, throwing his head back too. "Alright."

It was still uneasy and Hinata couldn't really look at him. If she takes Naruto's name then it will be like giving secrets and keeping something new.

Hinata gave him a side-glance and gave more firmness to her curious tone. "You... you must tell me everything about what you did to Tenzou and... before that..."

His laughs died down gradually before he was left with the taste of tartness with acerbity all over his face. "I've done some bad stuff, Hi-chan," said Naruto, looking at the stars. "I'm surprised I'm not dead or blind, with all the stuff I've done and seen."

Her breath caught in her throat. "I want to know why you are so calm in the face of killing and murder. It's scary! And I feel gross. I can't close my eyes for a second without the guilt opening my eyes. Why do you know what to do? Why are you so... unmoved?" The questions poured out from Hinata.

"The first kill stays with you until the second one comes to haunt you," Naruto said, all small and guilty.

"You sleep night and day, how'd you do it?" Hinata clenched her fist.

She remembered her victim's breath, the way his blood moved and where the pain she caused settled on his face. She was brutal. Brutal.

Naruto stared at her for a moment then looked back at the heart of the fire. He was unforthcoming, looking upon his past with weary eyes.

"Tell me everything or else I won't be able to trust you. We share the last names, right? We must share this too." she insisted.

He smiled softly. "Hi-chan, you gotta believe me when I say my life hasn't been an easy one. Jiraiya and I weren't partying and shopping like all the brats back home believed. He would train me 'till I couldn't move. Till my threshold was devolved just a bit more than it was that yesterday. Till I would cough up blood like a dead man walking."

Hinata shuddered. "Why?"

"You remember when I turned fourteen and I was gone for almost a year?"

Hinata nodded. "The church was quiet."

Naruto chuckled. "It must have been. That trip made Sister Hera's abuse feel like playtime. Not that they hurt, anyway."

"Playtime?" Hinata winced.

Naruto sighed. "I would train until I was bloody until I couldn't breathe and all my bones were broken. Uncle Jiraiya was training me to become a knight for the Empire, for King Uchiha or whatever. I got stronger and stronger and Uncle Jiraiya wanted to train me and he did. That was dog shit."

Oh... so that explains the whole scene with the multiple Narutos. And wow... the Capital.

"You freaked out?" he laughed at her mild shock.

She tilted her head. "You were amazing." she smiled... But now they're enemies of the crown, Adventurers and their country, doesn't that make Naruto a bit scared?

Then her brain got involved, and her amazement dimmed into mild sadness. "When was he going to come back for you?" she asked. "Jiraiya... I mean."

Naruto was nonchalant and uncaring through his tone. "In a couple of months. For when I could be inscribed to the army and be treated " _properly_ " for once in my life..."

Hinata shrunk. "Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry... that was taken from you."

"I know we can't stay near to Lady Morgana's Orphanage but that's where he'd pick me up and I'd get to be in the Capital." he sighed. "Now Uncle Jiraiya won't have any idea of where I am." he loosened something in his ear and flicked it away.

Hinata's heart broke a little. Hinata ignored the burning in her eyes. So that's why Naruto wanted to stay? Huh? It made sense. He was always destined for greatness, too.

She awkwardly put a smile on her face, trying not to appear too happy or too sad. "I didn't know that..." she let out a ragged breath. "I didn't know."

Naruto's face fell. "Hi-chan, don't-"

Hinata forced the smile to be huge. She wanted it to take up her whole face. "That is a marvelous opportunity. Uhm, you could go- and I'll. I'll stay with Sister Ino since you know, you have a bright future ahead of you, you know?" Hinata said, awkwardly.

She promised so much to this man who would only leave for the Empire and that lux and life.

"Why the long face?" He scrunched up his expression. "What're you talkin' about, Hi-chan?"

Hinata looked at him in earnest. "I thought- you would... I mean you h-have..." Hinata looked away. "the army to fall back on."

"No! I wouldn't leave you guys. Sister Ino, either. I never abandon my comrades. Besides, good isn't even a word to describe the Empire..." Naruto's eyes bore deep into hers. "Never!"

"But- but I thought you wanted to be picked up by Uncle Jiraiya-"

"Hi-chan, I won't be a slave or criminal or knight for anyone. I want to be king. King." He grinned then rubbed his neck. "Jiraiya'll probably beat it outta me the next time we meet," Naruto laughed some more. "I want to be free and become king, that isn't too hard, right?"

Hinata shook her head. "It's not," she smiled a little.

The night was quiet and Naruto threw a log into the flames, renewing its blue and yellow and orange colour.

 ** _Oh. I thought fox would make you cry. I thought I was going to have to bite his face off,_ **Nero chimed in her mind.

 _I don't think he'd ever do that. Intentionally. He gives me a lot of grief, Nero. He's almost like a child_. Hinata stroked his fur.

 ** _I thought you were mates. To hear you speak so lowly of this fox does not reaffirm my assumption._**

Hinata laughed. _Mates? No. We are not married._

 ** _His heart speeds up every time he looks at you. My mate would have a heart attack upon seeing me._**

 _You have a mate?_ Hinata asked in a small voice. _Someone who would willingly pledge themselves to you? For you? Forever?_

 ** _I know, it would be so startlingly easy._** Nero shrugged.

Hinata laughed. _Yes, that is what I meant._

Nero became serious. There was hope in his tone. **_Yeah. There's another half for everyone. No matter how bitter and strange and calloused, there is someone who would take it in stride, and sacrifice everything for you._** His gruff tone became smooth and sly. **_Complacent. It's rare to find one, but Fox would be a good substitute._**

 _Substitute?_ Flashes of Sister Ino's longing expression and sadness were all too fresh. _I couldn't. Someone else wants that position and does everything you said. I cannot take that away from her._

 ** _Oh. I will take him from her and give him to you if you are too "innocent" to admit you want him._**

 _Read my mind, Nero. No. She's in love with him. I am not!_ Hinata yelled in her mind.

 ** _You can't always be lonely! You need someone_ -**

 _I didn't need anyone for my entire life. It's just me and that's fine-_

"Hi-chan," Naruto called out with urgency in his tone.

Hinata looked up, still panting with anger from her argument with Nero. "Yes?"

He stared at her with this unreadable expression that she can't decipher. She sat up taller.

"Would you promise to stick through thick and thin?" Naruto asked.

Hinata saw the shadows in his eyes though he was such a bright person. She knew what he really was asking; _"Hi-chan... we'll have to do more bad things and more killing to become king. Would you stay by my side, no matter what I do?"_

He was nervous. This is the first time he shied away from looking at her. Hinata remembered saying that if no one else would protect Naruto, then she would. She guessed she had to keep that promise.

He even washed her sword... Got all of the blood off, too. Hinata looked at the sky. Now it was dotted with stars of hope. Oddly, only 9 stars were visibly twinkling. 9...

"Yeah. Through hell, I said. Through fifty whips. Through hell." Hinata whispered.

He let out a breath of relief. "Through hell..."

She will protect them. Somehow. Someway. He came over to her side with a relieved expression. He laid back, leaning on the log, near to her.

He stared at the sky. He reached up as if trying to touch the heavens and beyond. "I won't give up on that. I promise. The world better prepare for when I am king. Guilds better watch their back, too!" he barked his laughter.

Hinata deflated. "Do we really have to join a guild? Do you think anyone will take us?" Hinata asked loudly, wincing.

Naruto looked considerate. "No, we could just make our own! We can't follow good-for-nothing people around. They'll treat us like dirt." he looked at Hinata. "I'll be busy being King, you'll be Guild Master Supreme, then we'll have the world."

Hinata choked on her own tongue. "N-no! I don't want to be involved in _that_ guild life _._ It's your dream. We don't even h-have a plan!" Hinata sputtered.

What is his easy-going nature?! They couldn't... just not have a plan. And she didn't want to take from his glory.

"You don't need a plan to become king. I think it'll be easier than living at Lady Morgana. We'll wing it," Naruto laughed. "Hi-chan, trust me, you're smart too."

"I don't have a brain, if that's what you're asking for."

"A brain," he chuckled as if she made a joke. He poked her forehead three times. "Then what's in there? Don't tell me that you're like me."

Hinata smacked away his finger. "No, in the Capital, we have to find a brain- a person who could make our plans AND wants to be Guild Master. Not me."

"But Hi-chan-"

"I refuse!"

"Hi-chan- you would be a good Guild Master. You even have a guard dog!" he looked at Nero. "He's small but he's got spirit, right?"

"We'll have to be in the Capital, as criminals, then we have to fight for a Guild! We only have three people, too," Hinata shook her head. "That isn't enough!"

"Oh. If that's the case, then we'll get more people."

"Yeah! We need another person who could teach us to fight, a messenger and another who has useful swords. And a doctor." Hinata looked at their wounds, the blood and the splinters they both had. "We need a doctor."

Naruto crunched his eyebrows together. "We need to find someone who bleeds gold, a brain, new feet, a sword, a teacher, a pill holder, and there's me and you. That's perfect. The perfect 8." he held up eight fingers.

"Naruto, you said 8, there are 9..." Hinata smiled softly.

Naruto scratched his head then Hinata waved it away.

"We also have a mascot, a king, a nun and I. Now we need a plan." she said.

 _ **I am not a mascot!** _Nero yelled in her mind, growling on her lap.

 _And I am not Naruto's mate, alright?_

 ** _Of course you are! You will be._**

 _Then, my love, you are a mascot until you deny it!_

Nero shook his head and didn't back down, not even in her head. He was a festering presence of anger and stubbornness.

Meanwhile, Naruto was vehemently shaking his head. "Hi-chaaaan, we don't need that!"

She smacked the side of his head lightly. "Yes, we do!"

"It makes my head hurt, to think like that!" he crossed his arms.

Hinata laughed, covering her mouth, stifling the sound just so Sister Ino wouldn't wake. And her ribs whined whenever she laughed but he was kind of hopeless.

"Kings have brains under their crowns, Naruto-kun. Maybe you should get hurt every once in a while." she looked at him.

"You can't hurt what you can't have, Hi-chan." He smiled blissfully. "So, no plan. Or let's think about this later."

"Yeah! Yes, you absolutely do need a plan now!" Hinata shook her head. What is he thinking? "Naruto-kun, I can't follow a man who doesn't have a plan."

"You're an Uzumaki. Not planning and thinking is in our blood! But the plan is... Hmm. We'll go to the Capital. Join a guild, find a party and gallivant in the Dungeons."

 ** _That's too vague but I am impressed,_** Nero commented.

Hinata nodded. _Me too._

"Then we'll become bad-ass. The best adventurers in the world!" he shouted triumphantly. He stood tall, and pulled Hinata up. Nero skittered away.

Hinata was worried for Sister Ino as she was still resting. "Naruto- be quiet!"

"No! We'll become the best in the world!" he picked her up and danced her around.

"The world?" Hinata laughed when he put her down. Then the questions rushed back. "How could we... do that?"

"We'll do it," he nodded with a sureness. "Then we'll make the best years of our life."

"That's not good enough." Her cheek and sternum burned, making talking hurt. That guy punched really hard. "When we're successful and strong and rich, what do you think life will be?" Hinata asked, panicking.

"Who you are loyal to and what you do for them." he laughed.

"That's a pretty good way to survive, Naruto-kun," she nodded to herself.

He looked up. "Test time with me. I never fight and I never run. I'll also make a world where you'll never have to fight... or kill."

"Naruto-" Hinata stopped herself. That's too much. She was confounded for a moment, frowning to herself. "I don't think that'll be possible. You can't keep with that belief..." Hinata shook her head.

"You must push forward, and fight more even when you're fighting against fate," Naruto said.

"What do you even do? Huh?" Hinata demanded. "I don't think we could change anything as we are right now! That's a death sentence. That's it, Naruto-kun, one wrong move against the Capital and we're dead! We can't wage war against human nature, against time itself and-"

"Hi-chan, don't worry! Once you question your beliefs," Naruto became fierce and dangerously serious, "that's the moment you die, Hi-chan."

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. "Naruto-kun... We're chasing after a damnable fate. Did you know that?!"

"Then we capture it, kill the bad one and fight for a new fate, you have to believe it!" he yelled. "You at least have to believe it."

"I just saw a man die! Sister Ino almost died because of _me_. We can't even protect ourselves from the Adventurers and the Capital! How are we supposed to protect ourselves from fate, too."

"I will become strong because I have you to protect. I will become King. I will! Believe it!" Naruto grinned and his yell was so deep and imposing, it rushed through her.

He looked so convinced. He was purely made of capricious confidence that no one could shake or change. Again. Why does she believe him... again? Hinata shook her head. She was mesmerized by his eyes. She was lost in his heavy and good gaze.

There was a flare of energy, that she felt. It coasted around her. It was powerful, overwhelming and good. It felt like someone was holding, embracing her soul with a huge rush of awe-inspiring goodness.

Ah. Why was she... so reassured? Her shoulders slumped with visual relief. She sat down with the force of the relief, him coming back down with her.

"Okay... Naruto-kun, I believe you." Hinata whispered. Nero hopped back onto her lap. She caressed him.

Naruto looked at her carefully. "You do?"

She smiled at him. "Just.. we'll do this and you'll survive this war on human nature. You gotta stick with me, through thick and thin. It's a promise you have to make, too. Even if it kills you."

His eyes softened and he sat back down. "Alright."

Then the silence came after the huffs.

Nero shifted on her lap. **_I have a feeling you and the other nine you want all will be involved in a era-changing catastrophe?_**

 _You didn't see it but Naruto... is kind of strong but... he is not Kami... I don't know what strengths he has, but he was trained to be in the army, that's something. And Sister Ino cleans and loves Naruto... And I... I have you. Now w_ _e're criminals, we share last names and blood, and this knucklehead is going to rule the world. What could go wrong?_ Hinata shrugged.

 ** _Bellenero, do you think you'll change the world with how you are?_**

Hinata smiled at Naruto's profile against the log, arms cradling the back of his head and him staring at the sky.

 _No. I think he will, Nero, and I would see to see where he goes._ _He will lead us to the sun. Eventually._ Hinata looked at Nero.

Nero huffed. **_You both are sort of hopeless._**

Hinata sighed. _Yeah._

It was an awkward silence. She avoided staring at Naruto. All that was heard were the breezes, the crickets crying and the distant animals. The fire was flickering and she was relaxed.

She still felt like it being weird between them. Negative vibes from the both of them came in straight waves. Her hand wouldn't stop shaking, not even holding Nero helped a little. She didn't like his declaration, it was too dangerous... and she wasn't sure if they would survive. But she would be stuck with him for a while, so it's best not to fight or to lie...

"If we do die, do you think hell would take us?" Hinata asked lightly, breaking the silence.

"Nah, after what we'll do, conquering the country and forging a new era, probably not. To get respect, we'd probably not get into hell." he sighed.

Hinata deflated once more. Great.

Naruto nudged her arm and she looked at him. "Chin up, us Uzumaki never give up or run, shi, shi, shi. I think we'll stay bound here, and come back to Lady Morgana to haunt Sister Hera forever." he offered a smile.

"That's another good promise, Naruto-kun," she laughed. That wasn't half bad.

"But we won't die... I'm sure of it." Naruto laughed aloud then looked out at the sky and held up his clenched fist. "My beliefs will be possible. I'll make a world where kids, nobodies like us, never have to hate. Hell, I'll _be_ their father and King too. I want the cycles of hate to end. When the cycle is over, you won't have to suffer. No one will suffer."

"You're not giving up on that." Hinata sighed.

He shook his head. "Never."

"I'll see it through." she said and held up her wrist and fist, like he was. "I will definitely see it through too."

Naruto grinned and she found it in herself to believe him. A little bit.

* * *

-End Chapter-

A/N- This one was long... All chapters will be. The pace will pick up. ANd Nero will be around for a long while... Why not?


	5. Forge Village Arc: New People

**Bellenero** **:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 4-  
New People

* * *

SASUKE WAS SURPRISED THAT NEJI'S CORPSE WAS BURIED YET HE WAS STUCK HERE.

Sasuke's bodyguard wasn't fast or able enough to escape his genjutsu. A cast genjutsu was a carriage ride to the neighbouring village for punishments.

If Sasuke's genjutsu was greater, he could have wasted all of those Rue Nara idiots. The Uchiha/Hyuuga Monarchs only have the right to be in the funeral but not him. Sasuke wasn't _there_. Sasuke looked out the window. It wouldn't be safe to jump. He pressed a fingertip against the pane. It _was_ easy to break the glass, though-

His bodyguard, Tenten, stood against his chamber doors stiffly. "Do not try it. You will not _escape_ me." Tenten informed Sasuke.

Sasuke glared. "That's my best friend down there. I am missing the sound of his heart beating. You don't even allow me the decency to be there with him?"

Tenten shifted, looking at Sasuke with her bored almond eyes. "Do not disobey the King-sama." she scolded.

Tenten's voice was so nonchalant and indifferent, it wasn't surprising she hadn't cared about him missing his best friend's funeral. There's no way she was ever in her right mind while she polished her sword she would impale Sasuke with.

Tenten was straight to the point without starting small talk. Unless she needed to say something important, she was mute.

Tenten was damned near yelling at Sasuke, now.

Tenten's full name was _Imai Tenten_ and their family immigrated here from Forge Village, land of the blacksmith dwarves. Tenten didn't have any of the characteristics of those hardy brutes. She was thin, small, and agile. Her penchant for recognizing high-quality weaponry was a trait shared from those iron-eating dwarves. Imai blood has been diluted so much yet she has their strength and loyalty.

The history of Imai serving the Monarch families from the first settlement here was _universal_. Tenten, however, wasn't loyal to Sasuke. She was loyal to King Fugaku due to Sasuke's Imai Takushi (who had been serving Sasuke since birth) died.

Tenten and Sasuke have had more full out fist fights in the last two days than Sasuke's had in sixteen years with Takushi.

Sasuke shifted to stare at his wrecked chamber. His mattress swan's plumes were floating. The mirrors were broken. Portraits were torn apart. No more staring at the faces on his bedroom wall. He wanted to break through the door but Tenten was there.

Sasuke sat on his desk, his sharingan eyes aflame. He saw red and the chakra coursing through her. She was prepped for a fight.

Sasuke could do that, too. For Neji. Neji would have been here. Fuck. Nothing made sense anymore. Besides, Neji gave him a quest. He had to do that.

Fuck Tenten.

Sasuke let out the last of his awful raging breaths. The room was trashed but only a percentage of Sasuke's anger was expelled. There was nothing left to break except Tenten. Those damn royals, keeping Sasuke out, looking out from the courtyard to guard him.

In the ward, the courtyard was filled with noblemen, lords and ladies, and Sasuke's old man Fugaku.

Why the hell wasn't Sasuke invited? Just because _Itachi_ was better at politics, swordplay, diplomacy, archery- the order nor the enumeration didn't matter. Itachi was even a weapons master. His sharingan was already stronger than Fugaku's- did not mean that he got to attend Neji's funeral more than him.

Itachi had his own castle and estates that he ran. Itachi had the opportunities to learn warfare, and how to fucking manage a larger kingdom- the kingdom he'll soon be given to. It was his birthright! _His_.

Sasuke's sole birthright was to be near Neji's grave. Sasuke's people treated him like a damn rival invader of the Capital. Why was _Sasuke_ locked out? He was so angry and feeling sorry for himself at the same time.

A long span of minutes passed with interspersed memories of good times, bad times with Neji being a constant in his life and now he's dead. He'll stay forever true.

Yelling got Sasuke's and Tenten nowhere. More specifically, Tenten's hawklike watching and Sasuke's belting of all the insults he knew got them nowhere.

"Why don't you ever speak?" Sasuke demanded.

"My sword is my voice, Prince-sama." Tenten quirked a swarthy brow as if that answer were satisfactory.

Sasuke's genjutsu would have wasted Tenten if the guards hadn't taken so much chakra from him.

"Would you use your voice for me if I defied the King?" Sasuke drawled, slow and steady.

Sasuke measured every twitch on her face. Such a good, finely trained dog; she didn't speak.

"Tell me what your heart wants, not what I would like to hear." Sasuke snapped.

Tenten's blank face didn't show her outright hesitation. Her sun-stained grey eyes were inquisitive and observant. They did narrow at his tone.

"The King is whom my family swears allegiance to. We are sworn to the King." responded the bodyguard.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. She's always had that stupid answer. She's been his bodyguard for three days but he's heard that three million times.

"Would you use your voice if I went to the funeral?" Sasuke asked, getting closer.

Tenten's subtle ambient attitude changed. She shifted to grab her sword. "Do not disobey the King."

"I have a feeling… I wouldn't mind going in there to kill my father in order to get to my throne near my friend's corpse. I should be there!"

"Saying you will kill the King is _treason_!"

"That's my father. As I reckon, my kind of father wouldn't mind missing out on this era. Corruption, crime rates, political unrest is rampant in our large booth of chaos." Sasuke laughed. "We are doing worse off than the other nations! King Fugaku isn't progressing us!"

Tenten's sword was firmly in her hand. "His Majesty King Fugaku Uchiha took the whole of the Empire out of economic depression with swift and intelligent trade and production of food. Our children in the academy strive to be king! Respect that title. Respect your King. He changed his wealth, power and dojutsu to become the most important person in the kingdom. The King has made a masterpiece of our land!" she clenched her fist and went into a defensive stance, her tone still even.

Sasuke straightened, a sardonic smile on his face. Her eyes darted over his, restraining herself to be a soldier and not attack.

"You know, Imai, most masterpieces never coexist with their creators." Sasuke tilted his head. "Learn that."

That sent her over the edge. "Close your raven beak! Takushi should have never allowed you to say these things!"

Sasuke exploded, slamming the door beside her head. He didn't know he's been this close, this close to hitting her. "Don't mention Takushi. You can't raise your voice. I am still the second prince in line to the throne, one of the few holders of the sharingan. You do not get to yell at a grieving prince like that. Your King has ruined all chances for me to pay my respects. I can't carry out a task that he wanted me to, either."

Tenten drew a breath.

"There was one difference between you and Takushi. I don't like you. I don't trust you and I don't want you to get in my way." Sasuke said, leaning down to get on her level. "You aren't familiar with the two intricately ordered worlds you and I live in. If you do not get in my way, you won't die covered in guts and sin. Is that clear Imai?"

Tenten begrudgingly agreed after three seconds of disdain lining up with his face in her stare.

Her chin quivered with the biting of her lip. She drew blood, just not wanting to respond with anything less than kind. Oh. He loved the perquisites of being a prince; the unlimited respect that comes his way no matter what. That possessed someone's soul.

Tenten still wasn't bending yet.

Sasuke fumed, exploding, "Is that CLEAR, Imai?" Sasuke punched the door again.

Tenten nodded to him. They didn't speak, just glowering.

"Prince-sama… You are going to live in madness, frozen in fear if you do not respect your family name, Prince Uchiha-sama. My family protects the King yes, but also his family members from himself." she whispered. "I support you, for the next week or so, I will be relieved of my duties and I return to the Great Hall, near to the throne where his Majesty resides. You won't have to see me any longer."

Sasuke sighed, frustration creeping into his jerky pulled fist away. "I know. Your collar's address belongs to somewhere else." Sasuke said.

"You should respect His Majesty." she said curtly.

"A man isn't a man if he doesn't find faults in his father," Sasuke said quietly. "You're not going to let me out, huh."

Tenten nodded. "The other guards will restrain you if you so please to leave your chambers. If you attempt to kill another Rue Nara, the incident will go to Supreme Guild Master-sama," she informed him.

Just because Sasuke didn't want those Rue Nara touching his deceased friend, he'll get reported to the Guild Master Shikaku? Fuck them. Sasuke unhinged his glaring, sharingan and sat back onto his desk. He's always been restrained in the place with the most room.

Sasuke stared at her, making her flinch. "All these Hyuuga want to beat the shit out of you Rue Nara, Imai."

"My mother is a Nara. The father is an Imai. I choose to align with Imai. I am half and half. However, do not insult the Rue Nara," she whispered tensely, bored and nonchalant. "I will be inclined to report this to His Majesty."

Oh yeah, Tenten was apart of his enemy clan. She was a half-breed with the capabilities of the Imai but the dark hair and eyes of the Nara. Shikamaru didn't really trust her, which meant a lot.

The Nara, the Uchiha and the Hyuuga have always worked together, busy struggling to keep the magical guild and monarchy together. Their family units did not get along as much as the weekly magazines professed. The knowledge the three clans shared about their strongest magic was the only thing that outweighed sheer compatibility.

That didn't mean Sasuke didn't want to beat the Nara until traces of their existences were a bloody pulp. Those Rue Nara were slowly merging the monarchy with the hierarchy of the Guild life. It was edging away the power of the Hyuuga and Uchiha combined. There were whispers of an attack like the Apocalypse happening. They should be working together but they weren't.

Neji's ambitious acts were always towards combining the power of Hyuuga and Uchiha into something that trampled all of their enemies. Then Neji was killed by one of those Rue Nara bastards.

Sasuke will kill those idiots. All of them. Tenten knew that. Maybe that's why he was locked up. Maybe.

Neji always had such pristinely purple eyes. The byakugan could see in 360 degrees all around them. Neji was rumoured to be a genius. He was.

Neji was meant to be the next Hyuuga Clan leader if Hanabi hadn't messed up his chances. Sasuke didn't know how much Neji longed for the position but Neji genuinely wanted to change his clan. Those old generation sticklers for traditions and seals were in another league, with dark shadows no one has enlightened. Not even the Uchiha have breached that surface of Hyuuga secrets and been successful in their search.

Neji was the one who made Sasuke lean closer to say, "My last dying wish is for you to find my cousin."

Neji's brain was all soggy from the death on his mind. He looked so weak, and small. Sasuke didn't want to be surrounded by all these Rue Nara. Shikamaru had his hands deep in his pockets.

Neji's face was mildly loose, his tight expression relaxing. It felt like Neji was… not home. It was weird.

Neji's rasping breaths confused his words.

"Hanabi is just outside," Sasuke said.

Sasuke didn't want his voice to catch. He wasn't supposed to. Get rid of those emotions.

"I can go and get her for you." Sasuke lowered his voice, to hide the pain.

Sasuke briskly turned. Fuck this. Neji was damned poisoned. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it-

Then a chilly grasp closed around his wrist. Sasuke's whole body turned to ice.

Neji grabbed Sasuke's wrist and held on for dear life. His chapped lips were white, just like his greying skin and lightning eyes.

Neji's never looked so damn weak. He's not supposed to.

"Get my other cousin, her name is Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata," he told. "I think she was left in an orphanage eight years ago."

Illegitimate Hyuuga were definitely dangerous. Especially if… Hiashi had another child. Neji wanted Sasuke to protect her. What happened to her? What was she like? Was she alive? Why was Neji so certain?

Neji's chest moved and he yawned a lot. Too much. He radiated his cold energy off of him. It was morbid. He couldn't move his eyes, his biggest treasure.

He's dying… He's dying.

Neji's had a death rattle, bubbling sounds. "Ge…t her to be… the true heir... of... of the Hyuuga and… beware of the…" And his words stopped.

Neji took his last breath. He took his last few and it was a blur. Sasuke couldn't remember much after that but he knew saying goodbye was worse than any battle, argument or challenge he's had.

He's seen a lot of dead bodies but not one of a close friend like Takushi's body. Damn it.

Sasuke saw just how much conviction was in Neji's eyes and folded. Sasuke didn't have time to deal with this woman. He had to find another Hyuuga, another reincarnation of everything good Neji was.

* * *

The sound of arguing woke Hinata up. Hinata groaned, eyes opening like sandpaper, ribs cackling with a vengeance. She waited for the next punchline.

The hay against the wooden platform scratched Hinata's arms and smelled like the creek near Lady Morgana's Orphanage; musty and loamy.

None of her wounds were irritated except for the angry ball of fire on her palm. It was as if she tried to grab the sun, and her fingers were being scorched off.

Hinata focused her gaze to the huge, snarling Nero like a second night nearby. He sat, eyes levelled with a sort of reckless joy on his face. Hinata should be scared but wasn't. And his breath… smelled like death. His gaze looked like death. His omitted aura was death.

 _Nero… why are you looking at me like that?_ Hinata asked cautiously. She didn't dare make a sudden move.

 ** _Do you feel the pain?_** Nero asked.

 _Yes._

 ** _Good._ **Nero barked his laughter.

Wariness crept in her question; _Do you have something to do with it? You look too… satisfied…_

 ** _I'm testing our bond. Your loyalty and my threshold._ **Nero explained.

Threshold? What?

Nero flicked his sharp eyes to hers, temper conversational and light, almost friendly.

 ** _Something phenomenal happens when an Alpoje wolf wants to serve some pup; they share pain, loyalty, and thoughts. Whenever no-noses take us Alpoje wolves, they make us do labour. They force us into different colours. They shed our blood. They separate us from our brothers and sisters. They steal our trust. Our lives become cruel, and we die._**

Nero, I promise the afterlife will be different, Hinata said through a clenched smile. She hated the way he pinned her in his predatory gaze.

Nero grumbled, **_It would taste a lie to say those words but we shouldn't live like that. Whenever we feel could have been shared. We could have given them… eternal alliance, but no-noses continues on the path of the darker side of ambition. We also know that our strength could be their strength. Any person in our pack is e_ _ligible to having our accelerated healing. But my pain is your pain._**

 _My pain is your pain-_

Nerves switched out with sizzling wires. Lacerating pain ripped through her hand, blanking her vision for a moment. Nero with an arrogant smile then her hand was replaced with a red glove.

 ** _Exactly. We share pain… all that is physical_** , Nero said.

Hinata shot up like an arrow. It hurt! Oh, gods. She held her swollen hand. Tears stung behind her eye. A headache thundered. A tempest charged through her head. She needed to throw up! She couldn't move her head forward without a migraine.

 ** _It's a curious thing, but that is how much pain we harbour. You now feel my pain, my longing, and my sadness._** Nero intoned.

 _You also trade-off all the physical, emotional, and mental pain_. Hinata gasped. _I understand that we share the pain._

The headache intensified. It got _worse._

Nero suddenly bolted to his feet, growling at her. **_Humans took comfort in knowing we were clawed up. That we were suffering. That our hands were cut off! Why should you have that same peace? You should feel this with me!_**

Textures to the pain Nero offered came. His words hurt, cruelly adding to the wound. Nero stabbed a claw through his own paw. Just to _hurt_ her.

Hinata's mouth tasted like blood and rage coursed through her thoughts. It gave her strength but robbed her calmness. She wanted to tear apart anyone who _hurt_ Nero and the Alpoje wolves, instead of Nero himself.

 _Nero! Stop thinking about it_! Hinata commanded.

At this rate, they'll _both_ squirm along the floor in suffering. However, more shots of anguish lodged in her spine… Her arms were roasted.

Nero sank down onto the floor, while Hinata withered on the bench. They were eye-to-eye. He watched emotionlessly while she felt every single lash and ache he's ever experienced.

 _Nero!_ Hinata yelled in her mind. _Stop this!_

 ** _Bellenero, you have to think about my revenge. I want to save my people. If you can't stand a mere moment of my pain, then imagine what a lifetime of suffering is for me!_** Nero said sadistically.

Hinata held her forehead, filled with rocks and pressure. _Nero, I promise I won't let you feel any more pain! I promise you. Just stop hurting me! I did not do this to you._

 ** _You are a human… therefore you should be punished, somewhat._**

 _Somewhat? This feels like the whole what._

 ** _Then you need to be punished anyway._**

Hinata shook her head. _If we follow that logic than you are meant to be punished for my people being killed by your kind._

He snarled at that, every coil of muscle primed for attack. He leaned his muzzle forward, glossed over with saliva and killing intent.

 ** _Is that so?_** Nero asked contemptuously. **_Then fight me kitling. Show who has the most agony._**

 _Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't punish you! We'll stop this treachery and begin anew._ Hinata was begging in her thoughts.

Nero glared at her face, claws out, long fangs ready to puncture and pierce her sanity. **_That's not good enough_**!

Her vision weakened. Her sides seared with pain. The world _hurt._ Everything hurt.

Her blood boiled in her hand, yet she had a strong face. She couldn't show weakness to Nero. That's where he has the most control but he doesn't! He _shouldn't_. He won't take her seriously if all he saw were her tearful expressions and twanging fingers. She let out laboured breaths and swung her feet onto the floor.

 _Naruto-kun will become King and I will stop you from EVER being abused. I'll drag them down to hell, and we'll start an empire with good relations between humans and Alpoje Wolves. I'll campaign to bring back your honour, your happiness, and moments of freedom_ , Hinata said calmly.

Nero squinted his beautiful blue eyes that were darker than the depths of the cold, icy ocean. **_You promise?_**

 _Yes! Yes! Just stop doing whatever it is that you are. Hurt people hurt people. We cannot add to that train! We should just try to stop whatever wounds the other feels. We're on each other's team._

His eyes blazed with uncertainty. She felt it like metal moving in her stomach.

 ** _Humans normally lie._** He looked down, hateful.

Hinata sat down, unable to stand for longer. _You could hear my thoughts. You could feel my emotions and intentions. I see your bitterness. I taste it! We've all had unhappy days that left us on the floor, but I will help you stand. Stand above the rest. Above the past. Above the discrimination and death. Just…_ Hinata had trouble breathing.

Hinata slumped onto her side and reached out to pet his forehead. Hinata felt the doubt and confusion in waves from him.

 _I swear._ Hinata smoothed the space between his eyes with the hand that he clawed up.

Nero flinched, bewilderment invading her thoughts.

Nero shifted away. A spike of concern came to her as well, since her red hot hand was suspended over him, and in his sight.

 _You just mustn't look at the world so angrily…_ Hinata said quietly. _You remind me of Sister Hera._

 ** _How else is there to see your human playground of death and destruction?_** Nero crabbed back.

 _As a valley of opportunities. We'll go down and find the bottom of ourselves, but we'll also find our abilities to rise above everyone. Then we'll be at the top._ Hinata panted. The pain everywhere along her body stopped but her hand was red and feisty.

 _Nero, why is my hand still wounded so badly?_ she asked.

 ** _Because my wounds still hurt. Steel was used to temporarily capture me. It was a small part of the contraption yet it will leave a big mark on me. It is my weakness. Those wounds do not heal for a while._**

Her throat closed up when she realized what he had done. _You intensified the pain just to immobilize me. That's madness!_

 ** _You had to understand my pain!_** Nero justified.

 _There are other ways, Nero! Communicating for one. I would have listened where you could always find me. Nero, you are in my head. You are the voice in my head. Just how I am yours!_ Hinata exclaimed. _That was brutal and sadistic. Pack members do not hurt each other._

 ** _You and I-_**

 _You and I what? I know I'm human. I know that my species have done so much wrong, history could be erased and it would not be a fraction of enough to cleanse or pardon what we've done. I know and I'm sorry for that, but I am not your victim or enemy. You and I are on the same side, whether you like it or not because you chose me. You. Chose. Me._

Nero dodged her stare then a quiet enveloped the back of the cart. Hinata flexed her fingers. The bones popped back into place with outcries. It felt like someone crushed her hand in a meat grinder.

 _So, steel is my weakness, too?_ Hinata concluded.

Nero huffed and laid on his side. **_Yes. We're both weak._**

Hinata sighed, feeling Nero's grief and guilt now. It made his normally controlled, confident and commanding aura smaller.

 _You can't become my weakness, Nero. I don't want you pulling this again. I don't want you to make me bleed. We have enough enemies._ Hinata gave him a side-glance. _You cannot become against me._

Nero dismissed her words by looking down. **_We're still going to be cut by steel._**

Hinata gave him a glowing smile. _Then I must become adept with a sword, so both of us never get struck down by metal._

His left ear perked up. **_What?_**

 _I will cut through everything in the world, even the steel that has not yet hurt you._ Hinata nodded. _I promise._

Nero huffed and shrunk down to his original size. He looked less furious, less lethal.

 ** _You are delusional, Bellenero._**

Hinata scratched the underneath of his rough jaw. _It will save us. Naruto-kun's crazy enough to want to be King. I decided to be his blood. I'm an Uzumaki, now._ She tilted her head.

 ** _So, Uzumaki is just another word for stupidity. Are you both a subspecies?_**

 _I think we're brave,_ Hinata laughed.

He gave her a genuine smirk, and his good feelings soared through her. **_Wolves don't apologize… but I won't do it again,_** he said.

Much to the sudden surprise of Nero, Hinata pulled him onto her lap, and there was a tension pulling on his face. And that tension disappeared... She breathed him until she was sure that the "apology" unblocked the misery they shared.

There was a lot more arguing outside of the cart, as well. It was a ruckus. Boisterous.

 _What's that? And where is Sister Ino and Naruto-kun?_ Hinata asked.

Nero rolled his eyes. **_Those are humans at a market. They're loud and they move a lot. I wouldn't expect much from them._**

Hinata looked down at Nero. Market? _We have to go check it out._ Hinata said.

Nero sighed. **_Fine, but I'll stay here to guard the goods._**

 _You don't want to come?_ Hinata felt his anxiety and apprehension but also his aversion. _What's wrong?_

 ** _No-noses see us and they believe that we are honestly profit, not living things. Besides, the nature of the crowds out there would have a brawl to get a piece of me. Humans hunt Alpoje wolves. Your life will be put in danger if I go out with you._** Nero explained with anger. **_It is crowded. And these dwarves smell horrible!_** He held his nose with a paw.

Hinata laughed. She blew a kiss to him.

"Thanks! I'll be back in a moment," she promised.

On wobbly legs and adrenaline, she ducked out of the cart to a whole new world.

Upon stepping out, a wall of sound hit her and that was _monstrously_ disproportionate to the number of people. There were hundreds and thousands of people. They looked like grains of salt in a handful.

The people in the crowd weren't as nondescript and homogenous as she expected. It was pandemonium, but a bright and colourful pandemonium. Their clothes, hairstyles, and voices were so varied and distinct. They looked to be tribes, caravans and merchants trying to get through with shiny carts loaded with product.

Hinata swivelled around to notice large, steel gates fashioned out of black iron. The tall gate was proud and definitely intimidating. Almost anyone would refrain from trying to attack due to its sheer massive height. Hinata couldn't see what laid behind the gates because they stretched far and wide.

Stout and short men with metal hats, and soldiers with swords were tiny in the hot, hot sun guarding. _Oh._ So, people were sharp and armed and also reasons not to attack.

Carved out under the huge arches of the entrances to the village were medium-sized buildings with people dealing silver coins. The coins glinted like the hope in someone's eyes as they were shipped off into the recesses of the booths. These booths had open windows with the land's lord's' greed, sticky fingers on full display.

The lords of this village and their dominance over luxury and entrance were sickening.

Hinata's cart was parked beside a rock, thirty or forty feet away from these booths, and she finally spotted Sister Ino and Naruto standing at the front of the line with frowns on their faces.

Naruto and Sister Ino's dealing with a lord drew attention and concern, too. Sister Ino's cheeks were red, her posture defensive and unnaturally confrontational for a woman of the church. Naruto's shrill complaints were at the forefront of Hinata's senses.

"What do ya mean that we can't go through? We're paying citizens!" Naruto yelled when Hinata got closer.

"You don't have the toll tickets, the money, and you fools didn't bring _any gold_." One snob toll master with a clear voice said. "We're being pretty generous with our offer. It's simple. _We_ want one night with your pretty lady or give us double the price."

Naruto looked at the man steadily and shook his head. "Nope. I won't give you bastards that!"

"Look at the sign, squirt!" The man grunted.

The board above these four carved entrances had the sign:

 **Entrance Fees & Tolls**

 **Humans & Other Abominations: 75 gold**

 **Merchants (Human and Other Abominations): 24 silver**

 **Lords: 5 silver**

 **Dwarves: 0 silver**

Was that why Hinata's carriage was put there, near a rock since they weren't allowed to pass, for safety reasons? These lords were obviously cheating humans and other abominations like Naruto and Sister Ino. Hinata's comrades' stolen argentite from the orphanage wasn't enough to offer. On top of that- these lords wanted Sister Ino… Why were men so lustful for her?

The gritty voice full of money and rotten corruption spoke to Naruto with obvious superiority and laughter. "I'm used to the silver spoon, give me, Lord Danegold, what I want." Lord Danegold said.

Anger gargled in Naruto's mouth. "No!"

"Then indulge in our other option. We _both_ know you lowly peasants can't afford any others. Your wallets aren't heavy like ours, but clothes, when stripped or taken off, aren't."

The gross lord had a cacophony of jewelled laughter chiming along with him. These lords were used to people folding like cheap linen, in order to get into Forge Village. They were confident, betting on the fact they would give Sister Ino over, like a possession, a commodity… an item.

"Fine, choke and die on your spoon." Naruto gritted his words, balling his fist, too. "WE'RE NOT PAYIN' FOR THAT, PERVERT!" Naruto shouted.

The air got thick.

Oh, _no_.

Their encounter had the fragility of crushed grass and the tension of a steel cable. The goons grinned in arrogance with flat, broad hands calloused with strength balled up. They will all fight each other.

This will end _badly_. Hinata watched the situation with panic dwelling within her. _No_. This will end up _very_ badly-

"Even sensei wouldn't pay these pricey passes to such a reckless place! He hates men like them! They're in the old age of wealth, not the young spirit of fairness." Someone said.

Hinata turned to see a man in all green, staring at the situation, on edge. _Literally_. The man was there, crouching on the huge boulder nearby. That boulder was two times taller than Hinata and as wide as a small, small pond. How did he get up that? Startling, blatant will and determination plain were in his expression.

He peered at the sky, hands settled on his hips. "This Forge Village holds the closed location. My master is so close by here, yeah." he bounced a fist off of his chest. "Yes!"

He did a graceful flip off of the tall boulder, materializing out of sunlight. He landed beside her, sinking into the ground. A huge cloud of dust swarmed his sandal's deep footprints.

His stance was wide, his excitable aura very much highlighted by his neon green jumpsuit. He had a pack that was disproportionately big to just how willowy, tall and lean his muscles were.

"Who are you?" Hinata asked.

They met eyes, regrettably. Even Nero's animal senses alarmed her. He was wary of this new man, too.

"Master?" Hinata inquired. "Who is this master?"

His glee intensified. "Only the greatest man to have ever been!" he orated with the childish whimsy, clapping his hands together. "We forged a great friendship in the midst of our time brimming with youth and springtime! We had great adventures! Those times built fences that will never fall beneath their own weight."

He nearly broke her eardrums. He had Naruto's enthusiasm but worse! Every feature of his (his tanned skin, wide smile, taped knuckles) was overshadowed by those eyebrows. They were bushy and he seemed… goofy. So goofy.

And were those tears? Cautious, Hinata looked around. His voice gathered the attention of those in the simmering heat, fanning themselves and their heaps of goods.

"Ano, mister, it's not good to feel that way. Uh, I hope you find him." Hinata lisped kindly.

"He was a genius," the stranger opined with full admiration, in a watery way.

 _Why do I have a bad feeling about that haphazard comment?_ Hinata threw exhausted looks to her carriage. _Why did I ever leave, huh?_

With loud emotion, he threw his arms up. "We had a school! We studied the art of meditation, warfare and persistence."

"S-seems… good." Hinata backed away. He's so loud and so fast. How did he twirl six times?

She thought that would be the end but that innocent comment made his eyes a-fire with passion and triumph.

"It was superb. Our sensei was rumoured to frequent the adventurous village of the Forge! I think of him day and night, and we have since been separated." he whimpered with a solemn sigh.

He must care a lot for his master, watching him remember. His memories physically made him be a shadow of his dazzling self.

"Al-alright…" Hinata winced. She could sympathize because she's been homeless for the past day and it sucks. It's sad, too. "It's sad to lose your… home."

He stiffened, his body straight as a pin when he turned his desperation to her. "Hey, want to join together?"

An icicle of surprise stabbed the base of her spine. "To-together?"

He made her shiver without warning.

"Yes. Together." he finished.

"Oh- oh, stranger-san, that's completely not… not." Hinata looked over to Naruto and Sister Ino _both_ arguing with the men and other people in line.

The man compared their haircuts. "We have the same haircut! Two hard workers with the same style and grit! It's almost as if we've known each other for our entire lives."

Hinata covered her bangs, cheeks flaming. What? They're pretty similar, with- _Why_?!

Hinata stuttered. "I'm… I already have, uh, my hands full. And- and what would impel you to allow me- me, just me, did I say only me- into your world? I'm obviously a bad choice!"

"Sensei says bad choices come out of fear. I am never afraid of the future and of good people."

What? Never afraid?

"You're never afraid?" Hinata asked.

"Not anymore. I became a splendid fighter against the geniuses of our world because of it." he boomed.

"Every bad decision prevents you from making good ones. Don't you have someone like that to tell you that?" Hinata recoiled. "Why choose me?"

Dismissing that and her overflowing no's, he continued urging her with muses; "You seem fine! You understand the importance of having those around you to further yourself and relent against ALL odds to become great."

"You don't?" Hinata asked carefully.

The man looked sheepish, flushed with an embarrassed curl to his words. "Ha, ha, I _may have_ lost the one who makes rational decisions." he barked his laughter. "But I make good choices, too. I will do one thousand laps around the gate to show you!"

How could he judge her person and offer to join her? And he was so close meanwhile nearly shouting in her face. People _noticed_!

"Ah, that's nice and all-" Hinata started.

The interesting man resumed, whooping congenially. "Isn't it nice that we both ended here? We're both appalled by the line and-"

"I must really get back to my friends-"

"We would be great training partners!" He clasped her hand. "If I joined you, then I will protect you forever. We will surrender to the goodness of practice and discipline. Together."

 _What_? Why did she attract these people?

"I miss having someone doing training with me in earnest. We can do long distance runs or challenges that can prove my honour and loyalty." then the man bowed! Full on bowed with a broad hand pressed to his fist. "I swear to you. I will be a friend, not a foe, unto death."

Hinata was mortified.

 ** _Who is this wet-nosed pup?_** Nero asked, flinching like Hinata was.

 _I don't actually know._ Hinata echoed.

Before she could really answer him, Hinata was interrupted by a cantankerous gasp of a crowd. They both turned around and it was Sister Ino's hand hitting skin. The rest of the lords stood at attention when their ring leader was assaulted.

"You're honestly, honestly the dirtiest man I've met! Paying your outrageous road toll in exchange for me is simply not going to happen!" Sister Ino pledged, shaking the lord (presumably one of Lord Gregory Dangeold's underlings) by his collar.

Sister Ino acted treated the man as a silver ball in a bell. Every shake let out a groan of pain. Naruto managed to disable a lord. The lord's bleeding ears, a fat busted lip and slumped body was evidence of this- and Sister Ino was yelling into his ears.

"See, see, see! He's trying to play us!" Sister Ino turned to Naruto, whose fists were armed and ready.

The other dwarves were also on guard with ready hands.

"You have to pay; everybody does have road tolls! Monasteries, towns, castles, villages. We're lords, we get to choose the price!" Lord Gregory Danegold shouted.

"Yeah, who cares!" Naruto rolled his eyes.

The Lord Gregory Dangegold's cheeks were red and he was leaning outside of the booth, obviously scared for his life. His other comrades walked out of the door, like some badly dressed wall in front of him.

"I will not be slighted by- by a goat peasant with a frog-like voice-box. We're lords!" he gestured to his bunch of lords. Then to himself. "I am Lord Gregory Danegold." he announced.

The others reacted with respect and instant deference. Of course, Naruto didn't. He stared back with unimpressed disgust, shifting in his stance impatiently.

"So?" Naruto asked.

The lords did not like this, especially the Lord Gregory Dangegold. "We-we're lords! _And_ we're armed."

"Yeah, I also go by _who gives a shit_? I won't pay for anything like this!" Naruto spat.

"It's by the King's will that merchants, what you are when you aren't a belligerent idiot, pay the road toll to whatever the lords managing that area want. You can't test the King!"

Naruto poked the man's chest. Gregory Danegold's corpulent body jerked away.

"Look jerk, I don't care if you're a flower on top of dog shit or the godly god damned King, I won't pay for that! You charged us 100 silver coins, not 24 like everyone else!" Naruto exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "We're not paying you bastards anything."

Sister Ino nodded. "Yeah, we have no time to deal with your narcissistic injuries because I wouldn't kiss an ugly, senile, dirty man such as yourself!"

Lord Gregory Danegold stared at their combined petulance and bravery with a beet red skin, veins threatening to pop. He was too angry to sputter any words.

They were all in a suspended silence as a pernicious man stood, finally asserted himself. He bumped out of the confines of the well-made hut, too big for such a small zone. He knocked coins on the booth counter into the dirt.

Hinata froze. He was a taciturn mountain of muscle and his shirt was stained blood red with wealth. He craned his neck. A widespread hush came under this entrance.

"Lord Kinomoto, these hubristic, impudent brats have been ignoring _your_ rules," Lord Gregory Danegold reported with a belted voice. Even his voice shook at Lord Kinomoto's authority, and he hid behind the bigger man.

Lord Kinomoto was uncaring about Lord Gregory Danegold, solely focused on Sister Ino with an acardian expression. "Little girl, you either give my men what they want or you pay triple the price." Lord Kinomoto's voice was pervasive and blunt.

His perfectly trimmed hair, porcelain skin, and mannered face was defamatory to his baleful sword and large muscles. How could someone so beautiful be so deadly?

Hinata stepped forward, responsibility moving her. That was Hinata's team! She promised she would help Sister Ino.

The green stranger wordlessly blocked her.

He had no weapons! Why was he trying to protect her?

 ** _Get out of there, Bellenero!_** Nero said warningly with his habitual force.

 _I know. Just I don't know what will happen to Naruto-kun and Sister Ino!_

 ** _Leave them! I only need you!_**

 _And I need all of you, so you're out of luck!_ Hinata responded quickly. Something was about to happen. Crabs.

Hinata ran back to the cart, bustling around for Nero. She wasn't sure if she would see him or not, and she was so worried.

Nero glared at her, on four legs as he was wary and defensive. **_What's wrong with you and your choices of people you speak with?_**

Hinata stared at his blue eyes. _I genuinely don't know, either._ Hinata sighed, thinking back to the green man who offered to protect her for life. _Even so, it's still cruel to be so blunt. Shouldn't you respect your pack members?_

 ** _My pack members are still smarter than staying where they could hurt themselves!_** Nero hissed.

Hinata heard shouts and it was awfully too much. _I know I am dumb!_ Hinata cringed. _Even so, I don't want to lose you, or them! I feel like we'll go to jail._

 ** _Why are we involved in their transgressions? We're punished for what they were doing. Why is that happening now?_** Nero asked mournfully.

Hinata held out her palm. _Here, take all that you need. I need you to shrink._

Nero froze. His senses became keen, fur standing and eyes suddenly watching Hinata's every inch of visible flesh. He licked his sizable teeth.

 ** _Bellenero…_** Nero turned his snout away in shaking restraint. **_I can't take your blood._**

Hinata watched him and the bloodlust drove through her too. _I know. Blood! Blood! We don't have time. I don't want to lose you because of them. This isn't about your bloodlust. It's about you hiding, alright? I'll hide you-_

Hinata looked around at everything they had. She found one of Naruto's cloaks (that was surprisingly not orange). It was much too big. He would blend in. She whimpered at her wound on her hand. Hardening guilt flowed through Nero. She needed… She couldn't lose him now.

She stared at his blue eyes. _Just I need you to hide before things get worse. It's our pitiful, unpredictable life, you know? I want us to live. You're the only other one who gets just how crazy the people are!_

Hinata blocked out Nero's increasing panic. **_I don't want to hurt you again._**

She looked outside then crawled to Nero. _Please, Nero, it isn't a matter of hurting or not. You and I will get separated. I am NOT going to let that happen! You can willingly shrink down, yeah? Why don't you?_

Nero whimpered like a dog who was in genuine pain. Lust for blood and copper clouded her thoughts but all of his want for her to survive and be safe was there, too. They were both confused.

Nero was proud, once again when he mewled; **_Because I won't hurt you-_**

Hinata bit her own thumb, and stuck it into Nero's wide jaw, completely flabbergasting the wolf, herself too. Immediately, Nero greedily swallowed the liquid and became tiny enough to fit in the hood of Naruto's jacket. She carried him, though.

Hinata needed the warmth and reassurance that he wouldn't be taken from her. Hinata took nothing as she stepped out and back beside the familiar boulder with the familiar weirdo.

Nero had a buzz of satisfaction and self-loathing as he licked Hinata's blood from her fingers.

Hinata caught the atmosphere when she returned. The lords ganging up on two teens, disobeying another warning.

Sister Ino trembled, staring at Lord Kinomoto man with serpentine grace and cerulean hate.

"I don't answer to you, or anyone, except for God," Sister Ino avowed into the silk shirt of the man's tunic over well-designed trousers. "And you are not God. You are a nobody with foolhardy tendencies with money. So, no. I won't pay the price."

Sister Ino grabbed some of the money on the ground that was mixed with dust, grime and soot and pushed it into his chest. "Here, take your stupid money," Sister Ino twitted with her amatory charm, spreading the soil along his chest. "We don't want it."

And just when the crowd was quiescent, they gave the people a ruminative reason to watch the devastating scene.

His shirt got dirty.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Kinomoto said, bringing the insanity of death's hungry jaws biting fear into Naruto and Sister Ino.

And guess what, Naruto and Sister Ino stared back with the ripping and rending fierce violence of Satan.

Kinomoto was striking back.

Naruto's fist was colliding with Lord Kinomoto's.

The green stranger's whole demeanour changed from a lush garden teeming with hope to a stare with sun-spears, parched wilderness and immense heat.

What… was he going to do?

Hinata... tasted dirt and air-

That burst of air stung her eyes when he was out of his spot, in thin air.

"I suggest you both stop. This is not a time for fighting anyone," The stranger offered a serious expression, for the first time.

The man was there- in between Naruto and Lord Kinomoto.

In half of the blink of an eye, he was… _there_.

The shockwaves of the stranger catching those fists blew on Hinata's face with the force of a momentary hurricane. One fist was caught on the green stranger's iron forearm and the other was in his grip.

The stranger absorbed all of that shock with his noodle- _no_ , asparagus body. Naruto and Lord Kinomoto both strained against his hold.

Lord Kinomoto's rippling muscles twitching with potential energy was more obvious than the mustache of perspiration on Naruto's upper lip. The discrete and non-discrete struggle was there because of this goofy man.

Hinata peeled a small pebble sticking to her cheek. Maybe the stranger wasn't completely lying when he said he would protect her.

"What the hell, man? I was about to knock this dumbass out!" Naruto growled, glaring at the stranger.

"How dare a badly dressed peasant touch me, much less block my punch?" Lord Kinomoto said smoothly, trying to disguise his shock but couldn't.

The quiet was unreliable and broken when the stranger's face brightened as if they were having a cheerful talk. "Let's get along and enjoy the free trade, the great nature and the sun or I will pound you into the ground, Lord Kinomoto-san."

The threat gave a chill to everyone.

"You all are going to the slammer!" Lord Gregory Danegold cried aloud.

Jail? Again? After ALL they went through, jail-time? What?

"The… jail? For what?" Hinata yelped, too loud.

Everyone turned to her. Shoot.

And the guards were surrounding her. It was annoying. The great stranger jumped in front of her, the dust getting in her eyes. Sister Ino ran to Hinata's side, ghosting around the guards and fellow merchants.

"Hi-chan! Maid-" Naruto yelled, looking between Lord Kinomoto and Hinata's new bad situation. "Oi, get away from my future Guild Master! She's-"

The green stranger turned to Hinata. "You are in a guild? Yes!"

Hinata shook her head, torn between yelling at Naruto or this strange new guy. What should she do? What could she do?

"I am not going to be Guild Master-" Hinata looked at Naruto then the stranger who was absolutely radiant with hope. "You're not going to help me at all, either, be-because that won't happen!"

"Don't worry, I'm helping, you. We'll achieve our dreams!" the green stranger smiled.

"Our dreams?" Hinata gasped. "I don't even have that dream!"

"No matter, I want to help! Nice to meet you, Guild Master Supreme!" he bowed.

Hinata choked on her words as this casual comment enraged Naruto. Was he listening to her? Were any of them listening?

"I don't want you helping, or touchin' her, or doing anything else!" Naruto finished.

Naruto looked down at the circle of enemies with Hinata and Sister Ino, who clutched at Hinata's arms, and the other stranger.

Lord Kinomoto had a concentrated expression full of transparent confusion and dull contempt. He opened his cave for a mouth then laughed, a deep, imposing sound with irritating melodies and blunt force. It took all of the huge man's lungs to laugh, deep and wide.

"Why dream for Guild Master?" Lord Kinomoto laughed then said, "You will never be anything more than peasants. Never. Kings will never remove their crown for peasants, nor to watch them throw stones at the throne. You will never, ever become more. You will degrade into money hungry merchant peasants waiting for death. Die one day with the reality that we own you. I own you."

Lord Kinomoto who had to steady himself because of the jerks his laughter unbalanced him. Lord Kinomoto's arrogance was annoying when he came face to face with the stranger, Sister Ino and Hinata.

"You will never reach the status of any aristocrat, peasant. So learn from this while you rot in jail." Lord Kinomoto's smile sparkled like a jewel with the cold malice of wealth.

"Who are you to decide my future just because I am poor?" Naruto glowered with scalding fury.

Lord Kinomoto was barely able to catch up when Naruto jumped onto the boulder.

"HEY! EVERYONE! SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" he belted, releasing a pulse of energy that hollowed her chest out.

"Get down!" Sister Ino yelled.

Naruto ignored her.

"When I am king, shit like this won't even happen." Naruto was tall and steadfast on the boulder.

 ** _He really does know how to make a name for himself... Idiot fox!_** Nero sighed.

Hinata was too angry and panicked to respond.

Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, looking out amongst the crowd as if they were his, his citizens. "When I am king, people like Lord Danegold and sir dumbass here will be reasonable and they won't steal from my people, you guys! If you're gonna be dumb, do it in another kingdom, 'cause you look old enough to be wise, but you aren't. In my kingdom, everyone will eat and have gold be given to 'em, not taken away!"

"Re-reasonable? Huh?" Lord Gregory Danegold squeaked. "You take that back!"

"I'm gonna be king because I rule myself, not you shitty, shitty rich people. I own myself. I won't take freedom from anyone! Ever! Believe it, idiots!" Naruto grinned, looking like the sun again.

Hinata was shocked at how many people were watching, charmed by his transference of enthusiasm.

Then the stranger clapped, loudly. Sister Ino glared at the man. "What in God's name are you doing?" Hinata hissed.

The green stranger didn't listen, either. Why? Why?

Soon after, Naruto was tackled to the ground, thus ending his speech. People were still shocked that he… was introduced to their village like that.

Hinata looked over. "Hey, don't you thin..." she trailed off.

He wasn't... even there! He... wouldn't have... Hinata stared at the spot beside her, she nearly choked on her surprise.

He did!

The green stranger jumped onto the boulder with Naruto, to hug him.

Naruto shoved him off. "What the hell?"

"Such a manly man, facing tomorrow and his punishment with such bravery and upstanding character." The green stranger wiped away the fat, wet tears from his face. "I WILL FOLLOW YOU! YOU TRUDGE TOWARDS A GREATER FUTURE WHILST DISADVANTAGED BUT TRULY STRONG!" The man was crying with just how moved he was.

Hinata collapsed, crouching.

"Thank you for calming and energizing at the same time, that is a gift!" he yelled.

 _Those idiots!_ Hinata groaned internally. Hinata… Hinata couldn't believe those around her!

Nero was growling in her head, too. And then they were arrested, which was… sigh. Which was _normal_. At this point.

* * *

After Lord Kinomoto and Lord Gregory Danegold were too appalled by their sinful, sordid behaviour, the lot of them were taken.

The stranger in green was taken too since he encouraged the public debacle Naruto put on and hit Lord Kinomoto. Hinata couldn't help but feel bad for the guy since he was roped into this, for no reason.

Well, he did jump onto the boulder, and fight the guards, too. The green stranger still stood close by, much to the chagrin of Naruto.

Naruto and Sister Ino bickered all along the way to their cell. Their banters wrangled away all of their good peace. Ambling to the cells of Forge Village was quite an attention grabber and they made it worse. The teens were escorted by wide, short, hairy guards with sharp spears.

Looking around, Hinata knew Forge Village truly was a blacksmith's paradise. Those gates were the least fascinating use of metal there was in Forge Village.

Hinata wished she could show the kids back at the orphanage. The simpler times without cuffs caught her for a second but she shook it away. Naruto's rebuttal made her more angry than sad.

 ** _Dumb idiots. It's their fault. And they don't even have the good sense to be silent,_** Nero cursed the two blondes.

The overall lively atmosphere was bustling; people who walked around in well-kept clothing lined with fur went from market signs with bold paint and flitted from armour on sales to thriving bars and pubs. It was rough, some of the wood creaked and the banging of metal was the heartbeat of the city.

Official buildings, blacksmith's homes and businesses were the most advertised. Many barrels, crates, horses and carriages were along the streets. Old men smoked and drank while women picked out fruit from the stands.

"Why is it when we go somewhere, there is always… always trouble?" Hinata sighed to herself.

"You must have the most interesting stories, disobeying all these adults." the stranger shrugged.

Hinata thought for a moment then laughed. The kids at the orphanage would love to hear this.

Upon her laughter, the stranger beside her smiled. He held out a hand, which were bound in the most sophisticated cuffs Hinata had ever seen. It was laced with something that made it impossible to break, and that just unnerved Hinata.

At least their cart was taken with them. Nero shifted behind her neck, where he crawled to last minute.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Hi-chan, my name is Rock Lee!" he finally said.

"Oh, my name is Uzumaki Hinata," Hinata said calmly. Rock Lee seemed embarrassed but Hinata shook her head. "You can call me that, too."

Rock Lee grinned. "I'm honoured."

Hinata looked at him. Lee was too pure and kind to be involved in their tragedy that was their life. Hinata stared at Rock Lee, guilt making her look at him with red cheeks.

"You didn't have to be involved in all of this," Hinata whispered.

He laughed. It was soft like spring rain but as sweet as the memory of summer. "No. I like you guys!"

"Really? Most people would think the opposite."

"No. No. It fills me with joy to see other youth like me trying to become bigger than they already are. You guys aren't boring and you're all busy!" Lee threw one look to Naruto. "And he has all these dreams that he will fulfill."

"You think he's going to become king?" Hinata asked quietly, holding her breath.

Rock Lee had a knowing smile. "If he tries hard enough, then yes! I think everyone looks for something they already are."

Rock Lee was wiser than his jumpsuit and bushy eyebrows say. If he will be sticking with them, he was the most normal out of the bunch. That made Hinata breathe easier.

"Naruto-kun makes me feel more courage within me." Hinata stared at the two blondes tumbling down the cobblestone street, screaming like children. "Well, more worry too."

They focused on the two teens.

"No, you idiot! If you hadn't been so yappy then we wouldn't have lost ANY time arguing with muscles for brains and the idiot Danegold!" Sister Ino shook her head, holding onto him for support. Her ankle still managed to hurt.

"You're the one who pissed him off by rubbing dirt all over him!" countered Naruto.

"Whatever you say is dirt, dirt that got us involved in this!" Sister Ino said.

"Do you even like the fact I got us into the village, huh? Do you even like anything?"

Sister Ino contemplated the question. "I like shopping, cherry tomatoes, pudding, flowers and getting into villages without handcuffs, you idiot!"

Naruto grimaced. "That wasn't my fault, Maid!"

Their bickering was drowned out again because Hinata was too busy watching Lee leaving heavy, heavy indents on the otherwise sturdy ground. On the dirt he left incredible footprints and when he jumped onto a bench because he was scared by a shriek Sister Ino let loose- the wooden structure fell under his weight. Strange, strange indeed.

Lee looked at her subtly. "Are they always like this?"

Naruto and Sister Ino shoved each other on their walk through the town. They were hollering like brutes and giants.

Hinata leaned over, gazing at the pair with a terribly worried expression. "They're like this. Always. If you stand too close, you will certainly get stressed." Hinata attested. "Don't."

Lee once curious and sage voice turned shrill and loud. He clapped her on the back, like a proud father. "That's great! They are wild, running with the youth of life."

Hinata paused then seemed horrified. She thought he was normal! He wasn't! "Wh-What, how is this good?" Hinata stopped in her tracks. Why'd he have to turn out insane?

His genuine laughter was a fresh breeze, filled with cozy timbres. "I have a raccoon. We hurt each other a lot, and we weigh each other down, and I lost him. Ha, ha, ha." he laughed, scratching his impossibly dark and shiny hair.

"That sounds… awful." Hinata shook her head.

"I wasn't very worried since I didn't know which country we were in but I was with him, so I didn't worry."

"That isn't awful, but… how could you want that?"

Lee laughed. "I think I make up for his faults. He almost turned into the moon, but he can sit in the sun for days. Even when I train too hard." he looked over. "Doing one hundred kicks, then one thousand kicks, then one hundred thousand kicks takes time. I need to take less time!"

"Less time?"

"So, he could sleep." Lee nodded like that made all the sense in the world.

That makes no sense. Hinata stared at Lee for a little, his eyes like a cozy, well-chosen pitfall. Something heavier was in his voice.

"How did you lose him?" Hinata questioned quietly.

Lee just smiled at her. Before that, he distracted her with twiddling fingers, darting eyes and then he took a deep breath.

"I didn't..." Lee said blithely.

Suddenly, Naruto popped in front of Hinata, getting in step with Lee. "Who are you?" Naruto asked, his obvious dislike for Lee loud.

Lee jumped back at Naruto's close face and his accusing body language. Naruto basically narrowed his eyes and stiffened his muscles, ready for a fight.

Hinata stepped in between them with an affectionate smile. "This is Rock Lee. He's-" Hinata smiled.

"Hi-chan, I asked him," Naruto looked at Lee. "So, what are you playin'?"

"Pl-playing?" Lee gulped, arms up in surrender. "I mean no harm. This young lady aided me. She told me I could join-" he stopped speaking and looked over at the back of their crowd. "I think she needs help."

They looked over. Sister Ino's ankle was sprained. She was still vulnerable and hurt. Naruto's wounds all healed miraculously. How they healed so quickly is a mystery. Well, he's never been normal. She lagged behind, too.

"I don't want any weirdos trying to give us problems." Naruto squinted like a disgruntled fox with his whiskers bunched together.

Sister Ino let out little yelps of pain as she caught up to the three of them. "You should take your own advice, Naruto." Sister Ino snorted as she bumped a hip with Lee. "Tell me he doesn't annoy you already?"

Sister Ino flashed her winsome smile with a wink. It made the guards around them flush, one even dropped his sword.

Lee gave Hinata a peaceful smile. "No. It's quite the opposite, Lady of Cloth. I feel like he and I will get along due to the fact he started a movement brimming with youth and revolutions." He looked at Naruto with admiration. "You are hard-working and that is incredible."

Naruto looked bashful and smug. His eyes displayed some sort of stupefaction. "You are the first man I've seen to deny Maid's charm, Bushy Brows!" He cuffed Lee on the shoulder.

"Huh? My name's not Bushy Brows. I do go by the village's Noble Savage." He had a proud, haughty tone.

"What kind of name is that?" Sister Ino winced. "Did someone not like you?"

Lee was confused. "No! I was beloved. Do you like Beautiful Green Wild Beast Rock Lee?" Lee suggested, shining brightly.

Sister Ino frowned. "No. Both of them make me want to throw up, Bushy Brows."

"You have no happy history associated with those titles! Lady of Cloth, would you like to know my story, why I evolved into the Beautiful Green Beast?"

"No." Sister Ino shook her head.

"It's a retelling of legends. Are you the type to sit and listen?"

"No. I am the type to not care." Sister Ino said honestly. "Especially with men who don't take care of their eyebrows."

"I do!" Lee covered his eyebrows. "A wonderful man showed me how to style myself with the utmost care and dignity! My sensei has the greatest compliment, saying it was my greatest feature."

Hinata and Sister Ino cringed. _Greatest_? They shared a look.

"Groom them, will you? Maybe I'll cut them off myself." Sister Ino shook her head.

Lee covered his eyebrows protectively. "You wouldn't!" He seemed horrified, yelping loud enough for the guards to pause.

"Oi, Maid, leave Bushy Brows alone. Don't go scraping around in his business, even though his leg warmers are overboard." Naruto said.

"My leg warmers are important and light!" Lee covered his eyebrows, looking around. "I don't want to be called Bushy Brows, though. It's mean. And she might shave my eyebrows!"

Sister Ino scrutinized him. "Yeah, your bushy brows. I'll invite you back to society with an open razor."

Lee was terrified. Was he going to cry again? Hinata got in front of Lee, as some type of wall. "Guys, guys, let's calm down and leave Lee-san's leg warmers _alone_." she smiled nervously.

Lee stood closer to her. "Yeah!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Lee, I'm not bein' mean 'cause Hi-chan's got a nickname, Sister Ino's got Maid and you got huge eyebrows, so, hey, that's what friends do."

"Does… this mean that we're friends?" Lee asked hesitantly, hesitantly uncovering his brows.

Naruto gave Lee the most radiant grin. "You're family now." Naruto brought Lee into his side, slinging his arm over his shoulders.

Lee dropped his defences, realizing that he was taller than Naruto. It made the gesture a bit odd but he allowed it.

Lee nodded. "Ah. I will add you to my training regiment." Lee grinned.

"Yeah?" Naruto beamed. "Yeah! We'll share ramen, 'cause Hi-chan and Maid despise it."

"For the commemoration of our brotherhood, we shall do a hundred laps around Forge Village!" Lee added.

Naruto clapped Lee on the shoulder. "We'll do that, Bushy Brows, we'll certainly do that."

They moved away from each other and Lee chirped excitedly to Hinata. Sister Ino lectured Naruto. All four of them walked along. Hinata tried not to look at Naruto. All of them weren't subtle people. Sister Ino liked the attention. Lee was a foghorn. And Naruto was intensely fearless. Too much. Now they're all cuffed.

Naruto noticed this nervous energy coming from her.

Naruto poked Hinata's temple with a finger. "Oi, Hi-chan, I never meant to start a riot! It wasn't my original intention 'cause we're in an evil and smiling world."

Sister Hera put out bounties on their names! They have wanted posters! They were supposed to flee to Forge Village, where they could lay low but they weren't. They came into this place and made enemies!

Enemies!

Hinata looked at her cuffs, her face hot. "Do you think this is a good way to start our days? We're separated from our goods, and we're going to jail. Tenzou will check Forge Village jails first!"

"Hi-chan…" he whined.

"Do you remember what situation we're in?" Hinata snapped. "We're going to be killed for kidnapping and theft and God knows what the dwarves will do to us since we've pissed off many Lords who have money and pull in this society! We're going to die!"

"As if I'd let them kill you." Naruto chuckled.

Hinata pushed his chest a little. "This isn't funny! I might lose you, Sister Ino and Nero! Now Lee's going to get a casket, too!"

"You worried, huh?" Naruto grinned a bit. He patted her forehead. "I know what I did was inconveniencing but look on the bright side, they won't push us around anymore. You don't have to worry 'bout that."

"What you did complicates things…" Hinata shook her head.

"No, it makes things direct. I hate when them higher ups try to look down on us peasants. When they say to jump, we'll never ask how high. _Never._ They're as flexible as a rock when it comes to us poor people. And I hate that," he shook his head. "I just had to stop the riches from replacing their brains."

Hinata looked at him with sympathy. "They must… know about the orphanage. _Because…_ you know, we have wanted posters. We could get executed." Hinata whispered the last part.

Naruto laughed, open-mouthed and loudly. "No. We'll figure something out before then."

"You promise?"

Naruto grinned, a steady stream of good feelings on his face. "You know it! I'm gonna have to get our cart back." he looked at her slyly. "And we're in the village, for free. Isn't this a kickass way to get in?"

Hinata shrugged. "It was flashy, cool like a certain person I know."

"That's the Uzumaki spirit. It's gotta rain every now an' then before the sun comes. You don't gotta stress ALL the time." Naruto said.

Hinata looked at Sister Ino, who lagged behind. "Shouldn't we help her? I want to carry her but I can't-"

"Naruto- my leg hurts. Can you help me walk?" Sister Ino called out, a stick in the mud.

Naruto groaned then looked back at Sister Ino. Further down the road. The guards were trying to grab her arm, but she slapped them away. She shrieked. The guards looked exhausted; with their metal armour, a normal man would collapse under this heat. Nero was overheating, too.

"Naruto, you promised!" Sister Ino said.

"Get your hands off of _her,_ " called Naruto to the guards.

Sister Ino looked ready to have her heart burst, beaming like that.

He looked at Lee. "Bushy Brows, I've got to deal with Hi-chan and the authorities. Can't focus with Sister Ino's yelling an' such."

Lee looked at Sister Ino's protest, her angry scowl and her crossed arms. Surprisingly, he was sweating and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Uh- do _I_ have to be responsible, Naruto?" Lee asked, not up to the task.

Both Naruto and Hinata shared a conspiratorial look.

"You afraid of her, Lee-kun?" Hinata quipped quietly.

Lee stiffened as if he were caught doing something immoral. "Hi-chan! Never. Never. A shinobi is never afraid."

They all stared at him dubiously.

"Sister Ino could be… unsavoury when displeased, Lee-kun," Hinata whispered.

"Well, dragons are known for torching villages when displeased." Lee gulped, stretching himself for a great run. "Do you think events will repeat themselves here? Do you think she'll take my eyebrows!"

Naruto barked his laughter. "You are just gettin' better, Bushy Brows."

"Naruto!" Sister Ino called out in warning.

Lee threw hesitant looks, jumping. "All in the name of our brotherhood, I shall help you!" he nodded. "Sure thing, group, your Beautiful Green Beast will carry the Lady of Cloth!"

Lee carried a very unsatisfied Sister Ino for a little before the guards began looking at the prisoners. Hinata caught very many whispers of Blue Iron Water, wondering what it was. It certainly didn't make sense that people stared at their hands.

"Sometimes I think you forget the fact I breathe." Sister Ino said softly to Naruto.

"Maid, stop being so dramatic!" Naruto called back, walking in pace with Hinata. "You're always breathing down my neck. How would I?"

"Like a dragon," Lee muttered under his breath.

Sister Ino looked at Lee's cheek sharply. "If you drop me, I'll have a grudge against you for the next three lifetimes!"

Lee gave a nervous smile, and bowed, with her. He almost threw her out of his arms.

She shrieked, kicking her legs and clinging to him. Rightfully so.

Lee apologized deeply on the rest of the walk. Sister Ino was red, Naruto was still orange, Lee was green. All of them so… carefree.

It made it harder to actually ghoulishly be suspicious of the people surrounding them when her friends... teammates were laughing in cuffs.

* * *

-End Chapter-


	6. Forge Village Arc: Green and Red

**Bellenero** **:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 5-  
Green and Red

* * *

DWARVES WERE SO UNPLEASANTLY FORWARD-THINKING AND CONSUMER-ORIENTED.

Fur-coated dwarf ladies and men bustled through the marketplace by arrogant stall owners, treating the street like their battleground. Frustrated housewives yelled at shopkeepers and calm men panicked when their wallets disappeared.

Their axes and beautifully crafted weapons laid in carts littered across the village like expensive jewels. Finding weapons in boxes or hanging in-store displays were as common as seeing produce in tattered carriages.

Underneath a bridge, next to the police administrations building there were the four teens, revealed to the masses and markets on display. The passing dwarves chucked discarded food into the cell through wide bars. The dwarves made jail time a publicly degrading punishment.

"Pay attention, humie!" The guard teasingly dangled the key in front of Hinata.

"You can't just- you can't just lock us out!" Hinata pleaded. "Can't you be- you know, understanding?"

The guard twirled the key on his index finger. "Sorry, humie. Once Atumo convicts you criminals, you're going to stay here."

 _Who was Atumo_? Why did he even matter?

The guard _locked_ the cell door. "We dislike you inconveniently rebellious idiots... You are all aggressively bad at everything. You lose your ability to be honest every day you are in here. We don't have any long term interest in you or your unpredictable and short criminal lives. We have no lifelong obligation to your recovery."

Hinata gaped at the man. All they did was refuse to accept discrimination. "We're a low-priority case! We didn't want to pay your maniac prices!" Hinata said.

"You will get IDs from Forge Village and you will explain your pitiful situation, human... Accept!" the guard snapped.

"Huh? Are we _going_ _to_ get a trial?" Hinata asked with perceptible worry.

"Your trial will commence. This holding cell will be your home for the next while."

"What?" Hinata banged on the bars. "Lord Atumo will start-"

"Watch your mouth before impugning his name." The guard warned.

"You can't leave us in here. There are people who tried to throw food and compost and whatever was in that cup! Why should-"

"You get what you deserve. Goodbye," The guard walked away. "Remember that we are decriminalizing you," he added as if he were the good guy. He wasn't.

The whole room deflated. Hinata groaned, head on the bars. The casual Naruto and sick Sister Ino sat on a bench bolted to the stone wall, side by side. Naruto was reclined with hands behind his head, lounging. Sister Ino glared at the discarded food.

"My brains, Hi-chan, we're working on gettin' outta here?" Naruto chuckled. "What'd you come up with?"

Hinata sighed. "I'm your brains? I can't figure anything out."

"You'll work it out." He grinned a bit, still enthused. "I've got some old folks to visit and food to eat. They'll see just how much taller I've gotten." Naruto proudly settled his fists on his waist.

Hinata brightened, amused. "Naruto-kun, _is_ there a change?"

"Dattebayo, they'll notice!" he squawked.

Compared to all those boys Hinata's seen, Naruto was quite... inadequate in stature. His abominable orange jumpsuit didn't make him look any better... or mature.

Naruto nervously frowned at Hinata. "Oi! Stop lookin' at me like that!"

Hinata tilted her head. "I'm not looking at you anyway."

"I know what you're thinkin' and it's not right! I am the average height for someone my age! I'll grow eating ramen an' all the good stuff from here," Naruto got a dreamy expression. "Aaaand I am tall!"

Hinata giggled easily. "I wasn't noticing anything, my observations have fallen short-"

"Oi!" Naruto yelled, waving his arms like a flightless bird. "I am tall! Height is irrelevant to becoming king!"

Hinata hummed like she was convinced. "I'm sure. Your words don't have to jump to reach your kingdom's ears. Well, in the future."

"Hi-chan!" Naruto muttered to himself. "I'm not short... I'm not-"

Sister Ino looked between the pair with scorn. "Let's focus on the escaping part of this prison stint... not _whatever_ you both were doing. If the other sisters knew that I was here, they would read a verse and weep. Weep! Not do push-ups or do indecent acts!" Sister Ino hissed the last part to Lee.

Lee was in the corner, doing push-ups. He was on his 336th, putting all his weight on his index and ring fingers. One hand was behind his back, in a fist, which was even harder. "Once I get to 1000 pushups, I will find a way to escape," announced Lee.

"That's not even a good way to cope with this-" Sister Ino shrieked when a drumstick landed in their cell. "It's a wonder flies haven't infested the place." Sister Ino was so disgusted, she nearly belched out her words.

"They're busy with another cell. Let's hope they don't escape." Naruto grimaced.

Sister Ino pulled her feet onto the bench. "We should be doing that. Escaping. Not _doing_ pushups Bushy Brows or whatever _you're_ doing Naruto." Sister Ino said, voice high with annoyance.

Naruto laughed explosively.

"Which is laughing at me." Sister Ino hunched her shoulders. "Why do I even try with you?"

Hinata went over to Lee. The heat and humidity underneath this damp bridge grew mould in her lungs, along with the sweet repugnant smell of the rotting fruit. He shouldn't make it harder on himself.

"You don't have to exercise in this filth," Hinata said gently.

Lee pushed aside sour-smelling rancidness. His nose was an inch away from the broiling stone floor. He smelled it all but didn't care.

"I am attempting to repent thereafter my mind will be clean enough to aid you all," Lee grunted, looking to Sister Ino. "I suggest not using full dragon's breath before you find a helpful solution. What are you doing?"

Sister Ino blushed. "I'm delagating tasks!"

"Full dragon's breath of fury. Ha. Ha." Naruto chuckled.

It was quiet. Sounds of the market and birds and the working of tough metal flowed through the dim cell. Hinata pet his hair, encouraging him with small whispers.

"376... 377... 378... " The sheen of sweat wasn't there. "Hi-chan, real men make a dojo in the pits of hell," Lee informed her.

Through hell. What training does he do?

Noticing her worry, Lee winked at Hinata with his extraverted zest for life. "Don't worry. I must finish this."

Hinata didn't understand. _Why_?

"This cell is disorienting by design. It gathers the gloom. We're treated like rotting fruit! Why are you doing pushups?" Sister Ino demanded. "That isn't going to help us! Did your sensei teach you nothing?"

Lee paused, an aura of blue madness around him. "We must move forward and sprint past those who defiled us in the world. If you and I are seen as less than human... You must remain dignified, not have a disruption of character. You ultimately find those who think you diversify your identity, intoxicate your life with positivity and vocal harmony." Lee lectured. He looked away.

"You can't believe those who insult you. My sensei is like me. He taught me how to survive. He helps me. I have to find him, get stronger through his words. That is going to help me and you all." Lee said. "If I have to do these pushups until my pinky will no longer fold under my weight, then I will. That is helping me!"

Aquamarine into coal eyes stared, not backing down, hotter than violent heat.

"Y'know, both of you guys must be professional spoilsports," Naruto jumped off of the bench, sending gross breezes of polluted foods to their offended nostrils.

They all groaned, even Lee, who faltered in his push up session. Naruto settled beside Hinata, she nodded. "Yeah, guys. We're all a team here. Behave." Hinata instructed.

Lee and Sister Ino sighed.

Naruto clapped his hands together. "I've got an idea. We gotta get outta here." He looked to Hinata. "We gotta _leave_ before they find out who we really are. Get our stuff back. Find Hi-chan's missing swords, and Sister Ino's bible not that we need them books."

Sister Ino nodded. "Aside from the biblical comment, I agree."

Hinata patted Lee on his solid, beefy shoulder then stood to her full height. "We came to Forge Village in order to be safe. We aren't safe. Let's make a plan. I say we find our freedom then the location of our stuff."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we have to do all of that stuff. Not to mention the most important task; retrieve all of our precious, delicious, healthy ramen."

That's why he's doing this? All three of them stared at Naruto. "Brother Naruto, you're quite shallow," Lee said, laughing awkwardly.

A shadow in the corner of the room, that Hinata noticed, on a separate bench spoke out. "Little blonde boy, there are no ramen shops in Forge Village. The last noodle master family got kicked out." A dark voice filled them in.

Sister Ino jumped up from her bench and hobbled to Hinata's side. "Where'd you come from?" Sister Ino asked.

No response. The old man just smiled at Naruto.

Lee and Naruto weren't even fazed. Naruto's whole existence was destroyed by that one fact of banned ramen instead of the old man that appeared in their cell. His priorities were _so_ off!

"They removed them all?" whimpered Naruto. "WHY? ISN'T RAMEN LIKE THE NATIONAL FOOD HERE?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. It isn't the national food _anywhere_."

"It should be!" Naruto clutched his chest. That action drew attention to the slight guffaws coming from the old man.

The old man in the shadows looked weary, shrunken into himself. His skin, a coat, and his hair, a wig. He seemed to be near death but the virility in his eyes was undying. His hair was a deep shrouded black, despite his age, never altered to be crinkly or fuzzy. It was strange.

"That family was in question for the hottest new drink. Blue Iron Water laced in their noodles..." the old man clarified.

Naruto's huge eyes shone with admiration. Sister Ino face-palmed.

"You read my bucket list! I will beat a dwarf in an Iron Water contest!" Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Oi! Bushy Brows, you and I will drink this Iron Water. Don't get shit-faced before me or you lose!"

Lee grinned. "Okay. Sounds like a plan."

Sister Ino shook her head. "Bushy Brows will not be dragged into this! Drinking Iron Water will shrink your liver to the size of your brain! Don't do illogical things!"

"It's only logical to drink it before I die!" Naruto resolved, nodding his head.

"Logical... I've never met a person so unfit to use that word." Sister Ino looked at the old man. "Who are you to influence Naruto? What's this talk about Iron Water?"

Naruto sat beside the ageing man with gunmetal hair. "What's your story, gigi?"

"Not a story or myth but truth. For the truth is the basis of life and mankind without tears." the old man said. "You don't know me but I lived in a different age. There is nothing left for me in this generation. This city is useless to me." he smiled chillingly, gazing at Naruto. "There's so much here for you."

Naruto grinned. Bashful; he rubbed underneath his nose. "'Course. Who else would take up the role of King, huh?"

The older man grinned. "You possess the magic many kill for. Even for someone like me to find existence within you astounds me."

Naruto peered at him. "What magic do you see in me?" Naruto seemed questioning at this point.

Wasn't Naruto the one who displayed those wind balls and his clones? Why wasn't he aware of magic?

The older man studied the dingy ceiling. "In my time, magic came wasn't rife with conflict. Magic was at everyone's fingertips." He held up a hand, that glimmered, weakly. "Magic was apart of the average human, all the creatures from dragons to the smallest of insects teemed with this immense lifeforce. Then the races split. And those born with magic were superior to those who devolved into man."

His eyes were glazed over, seeing beautiful pieces of life all around him, but he couldn't catch them.

"In abstract simplicity, the man wants to change. They want to live in the moment and get stronger. Their spirits yearned for something greater. Something more intense that drives the pulse, fills the muscle and the spirit,

"Though humans see dwarves as brutes, money-grabbing thieves and humans are seen as weak, lonely, inferior abominations... they both turned to drinking to cool and dissolve their problems." The older man leaned over to Naruto. "I don't think you lads will be doing that kind of ruckus and show off some chaos."

Naruto laughed. "I'm drinkin' it 'cause Maid said not to. And come to think of it, we show off chaos through sobriety and fun stuff."

The older man chimed in his laughter, which drowned out the odd yelp of annoyance from Sister Ino.

The old man gazed at Naruto and the rest of them. "Iron Water was made by the dwarves who were mutated to have larger jaws, large eyes that could see in the darkest of mines and hands that were big enough to handle sheets of metal and delicate gems that fit in their fingerprint grooves." He stopped, pausing. It drew them in. "Humans made Shinobi Potion or otherwise known as Blue Iron water."

His gaze and tone became pitched with a weight. "Blue Iron Water is consumed by those who are capable with magic."

"Can those without magic consume it?" Naruto guessed.

"It doesn't discriminate in most cases." the old man informed them quietly. "It is very important to know the royal family the All-Seeing Uchiha have banned their usage in all of the Empire."

That made Hinata gasp. Everyone looked at her. "U-uh, old man, uhm, why... Why are you going to tell us about this?" Hinata stated.

"Many of us merchants passing Forge Village work by offer and demand. The demand for Blue Iron Water is higher than ever with the _Apocalypse_ coming. Adventurers and Dungeon-goers alike need a boost and what have you. They need a way for them to blaze and be brighter than the glaring sun; the Uchiha Guild when the time comes to show their strength."

Hinata inquired with a gulp; "Just... how strong is an Apocalypse?"

The old man had a gritty, wholesome look of subtle terror flashing in his eyes. "Enough to kick the moon around like a pebble. Chaos is everywhere. Monsters unlike what we've seen escape from shackles, ready to enslave humans and other creatures. They have immense power that leave us guilds and all races on the brink of extinction."

Hinata held her stomach. Guilds have to fight the apocalypse? Oh god. She thought Adventurers went to dungeons because they were masochists. They're all way dumber than she believed!

"Even dragons and frogs go extinct?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Yeah. Simple guild and military wit isn't enough to satisfy its battlefield."

Fear pressed against her spine, making her unbalanced. She looked at the moon peeking out in broad daylight. Sister Ino began clutching Hinata's sleeve for support.

"A pebble. Even pebbles burn in hell." Sister Ino whispered.

The old man nodded. "Blue Iron Waters fool those into thinking their strength is boosted. It's extremely potent. Better than most potions and balms from the most skilled druid Tsunade."

"Tsunade? You mean the Cursed Blue Doctor?" Sister Ino quaked out. "She's dangerous to society. She's the one who operated on the last King. He died. She _killed_ the last king. She was sentenced to death!"

The old man laughed. "Those are tall tales with no meaning."

"But it's true." Sister Ino insisted. "Is it?"

"Tsunade-sama hasn't been found since she was accused of creating the Blue Iron Water. The Goddess of medicine was capable of such a feat, true, but would she? No. These Adventurers specialize in ruining their bodies with tools and doctors specialize in repairing it. Would Tsunade go against her oath? She wouldn't support the endless lives that were sacrificed in war or on the streets."

Naruto seemed puzzled yet intrigued by these potions. "Does it taste good? Is that why people go back, aside from the strength they get?"

The old man shifted. "Sweeter than summer after a harsh winter, they say. Yes... they say it tastes of glory and legends. Those who champion in the Apocalypses, namely the guild they belong to, are written about for centuries... and beyond that. They say once you triumph, your soul sits in the history books."

It was all quiet while Hinata processed this information, adding all of this into her personal knowledge. So... there is an Apocalypse, a worldly disaster and Adventurers (those greedy fools and heathens) are trying to set up a market where Blue Iron Water helps them become legends. Why was this old man telling impressionable teenagers a bunch of tales and myths?

"Scientists and wise men have predicted that an Apocalypse would happen but they never came. Why should we believe you?" Sister Ino demanded without her accustomed confidence. "Are you trying to terrify us?!"

The old man didn't seem to be bluffing.

The man drew a deep, deep breath as if preparing for his last one. "Children, I tell you all because the ones who see how corrupted and crazy the world is are usually the ones left in it. I am useless to the next one generation. You all can combat this new epidemic that will kill everyone. Not just dwarves and humans and mages but everyone."

 _Crabs_. Now they're left with this mess. Hinata thought coming to Forge village was a good way to escape the corruption of Sister Hera and the church and the orphanage but they were dumped into this one.

Naruto rubbed his chin, no longer strapping with enthusiasm. Lee looked like a wilting stem, too. "The real world was... wasn't as decked out as Jiraiya described it to be. He's wild and selfish to a fault but he wasn't a liar." Naruto grumbled. "How am I gonna clean this all up? Dragons are in danger."

That question had no obvious solution either. The old man opened his mouth but Sister Ino held up a hand. "Wait! _Wait!_ " She stomped her foot, blanched and near a frenzy of astute fear. "Answer me... What does Blue Iron Water have to do with ANY of us?" Sister Ino demanded.

The old man sighed. "Many of the dwarves complain about work, diamonds and their quality of life. They brazenly come to the hub of the East, Forge Village, land of the merchants and coerce those who end up in this prison cells for 500 millimetres of Blue Iron Water to store, to keep, to sell, to betray. The opportunities coming from humans are endless." he looked over at them, tired eyes showing intense worry. "I don't know the difference between good and evil when observing all species. It's manipulated."

Lee perked up, anxiously chewing on his wrapped up knuckle. "Any bad... or confused person may attain these... said bottles of Blue Iron Water?"

The old man nodded.

"What's eatin' ya, Bushy Brows?" Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together. "What's wrong?"

They all looked at the flinching vegetable figure with hesitation and questioning purses.

Lee was lost in space for three seconds. "I know someone who would... get these bottles through destructive means. Especially since this person is easily angered and is volatile. In this city of social cues, corruption _and_ ever-present drunks... I could understand why this... a certain person would see the appeal of Blue Iron Water." Lee said all too quickly, Hinata could barely make out the words.

Hinata rubbed Sister Ino's white knuckles and sent a sympathetic gaze towards Lee. Was Lee's companion this certain person? Was he dangerous? How could this person turn into the moon?

"D'you know someone crazy, Bushy Brows?" Naruto asked without suspicion.

After that rambling and apprehension, they all waited on an answer. Lee scratched his head. "Well." he stopped and got distracted. "Sensei-stranger... What will happen to us... humans?" Lee asked the stranger. "Will someone come to demand these bottles from us?"

They all looked at the old man, things falling into place. They watched every word he said. Hinata's heart dropped. Oh. No. "What was that sound?" Hinata gasped.

"Those are the sounds of a sssingle red flower blossoming..." The old man snickered.

A chill climbed up Hinata's spine. His slimy extension of the 's' sounds was as wrong as a slug slithering along a flower.

The old man looked at Naruto, eyes shining. "You must go get stronger and not eat from the branches of sin. Finding Tsunade would heal this city and I need to know she's alive... Unless you do not want this quest."

"This is a quest?" Naruto demanded, eyes popping out of his skull. "I've always wanted a quest. Oi, Hi-chan, prepare for the quest!"

What? A quest?

The old man took offence to his enthusiasm. "This isn't a game. The role of a dark warrior is coming out. It's a quest to support those who don't know anything but the light side of this society. You must find Tsunade to heal this dying Empire. She was last seen in the Capital."

Naruto looked at all of them. "You guys, we'll find Tsunade."

Lee grinned. Hinata and Sister Ino stared at the boy. _What_?

Naruto nodded, taking this seriously. He was bubbling with energy and Hinata couldn't understand why he was taking this quest. "Get stronger, that's gonna be our policy. We'll find Tsunade. And find you here." he looked back at the old man.

Hinata noticed the old man's dark, dark eyes staring at them with a small shine of yellow. His voice was higher, without the wavelength. Something that wasn't supposed to move within her stomach shifted.

"As long as you remember me, I'll remember you," Naruto said to the old man.

"Yes. I expect good things from you." the old man nodded. "You're standing atop a bridge that divides the world. Cross the straight and change this Empire. Clear her name and bring her to me."

Hinata watched the old man. What was he doing? Now they have to find this Tsunade and Naruto is really prepared for it. The old man produced a gold scroll. He looked over at Hinata and it materialized in her hands. It was so light, tingling with a sort of energy as it glowed. And it didn't seem fake.

Naruto and the rest looked at it. Naruto patted her hair affectionately. "Good job!"

Everyone else peered at the document while she looked at the old man. "What? Why give it to me?"

"You are the true leader of this quest," he said calmly like she was supposed to know.

She didn't. She wasn't! "I-I'm n-"

"Too late for doubts, I put you down as the quest leader. I expect to see you," the old man said.

Hinata stared at the paper. It was a scroll with pretty letters and words.

 **~Quest~**  
 **Retrieve Tsunade Senju, free her name and return her to King Fugaku.**

 **~Party Membres~**  
 **Hinata**  
 **Naruto  
Lee  
Ino**

 **~Reward~**  
 **Life**

Lee studied the old man. "Do you happen to be the king, right?" He sweat through his question.

"Bushy Brows! We totally messed up!" Naruto and Lee looked to each other. "Real bad!"

Lee and Naruto dropped to their knees, instantly faithful to their brand-new master. Both of them were coated in filth as they sang praises. Naruto requested about how to become king while Lee was the more respectful, demanding to how be penalized for forgetting such a pure majestic figure.

Both Hinata and the old man shared an exhausted sigh. Sister Ino leaned close to Hinata. "They're both idiots. Aren't they?"

Hinata squeezed Sister Ino's arm. "It despairs me," she whispered weakly, "but they're real cute, aren't they?" Hinata giggled.

Sister Ino gave a tenuous smile. "You're a very confused person, aren't they?"

Hinata released her arm. Ouch.

"Boys, he's not the king. Stop messing around!" Sister Ino shouted, dragging Naruto off the ground to brush him off.

Lee continued apologizing too much while Naruto zealously laughed. Sister Ino scolded both of them. Hinata glanced back to the scroll. "Thank you for the info and for answering my team's questions but what does it mean to be paid in life?" she lifted her gaze to see the old man _gone._

What? Where did he go? He did appear in the cell much of the same way! Should she even take on this quest?!

"Guys, we should find him-" Hinata said but was cut off.

An honest rumbling, rocking the ground unsettled the gang. Grubby dwarves came in. A sole pudgy dwarf entered with red apple cheeks and thick braided hair, restrained in an alloy hat. Their weapons were much more striking. Long, sharp and silver axes.

"Oooooi! Hello, you cretins. Humans usually have at least two bottles of Blue Iron Water. Give them." A bothersome ginger _and_ nasal dwarf ordered through his fat nose.

The other two dwarves, a blonde and a brunet folk, looked primed for blacksmith work. They all had thick trunks, perpetual stains of dust and large metalworker hands as they opened the too big cell door.

"Leave us alone!" Naruto yelled, standing in front of Hinata and Sister Ino, who promptly gripped his arm.

Hinata's froze. Their visitors all stood at her victim's height. Why did they have his weight and clothes and... and the room whirled?

They resembled the man she murdered. Sounded like the sword tearing out with a gurgle. Felt like the wailed punches he barreled onto her body.

Why did Naruto protect her? Hinata was a monster... who wanted to shield her.

"You wanna have our stuff, buzz off," Naruto shouted. "We're not here to give you anything."

"Even when it could get you outta jail?" One dwarf asked. His whole presence and call had the levelness of nectar. "It's easier when you foreigners just cooperate and give us Blue Iron Water. Us dwarves are a proud race with broad bodies and hardiness, we get our products through labour and super strength. Our smithing needs them Iron Water and Blue Iron Water bottles."

"You dwarves are the reason that ramen was BANNED from Forge Village. What the hell! I'll never forgive you small and usually ugly things." Naruto grunted unhappily.

"Eat your words or give us what we want. I can't approve of your doings!" the ginger dwarf said.

"No matter how much ramen I'll eat, I'll probably always feel empty. Touch them and you'll regret everything." Naruto warned. "We're not givin' you anything. So, why don't you eat your beard and go build a spoon or something?"

"Human lad, you got bottles of Blue Iron Water or not? We're not here for your women halflings or her pretty eyes, we just want to collect." The tallest one grit out, the blond.

Hinata had pretty eyes? Why did those words feel dirty?

Blond's sausage fingers bent the bar he used to support himself. He had to crouch because the three metre high ceilings weren't low enough. His towering made her feel anxious.

Even Naruto wasn't enough to make her feel safer. She never wanted to feel this way again. All three of them didn't bother hiding their weapons that were the size of Hinata.

The dwarves ganged up on the three teens, "We're gonna have to get our answers a different way, yeah?"

The dwarves were closing in on them. Hinata paused. A suspect loud friction that sounded... like sand was abuzz in her ear. Why would sand vibrate, with energy... with life, be here?

They all were threatened by something else. A mist of dark umber was solidifying in front of her. The airborne earth shifted and fluttered like fairy dust then was a film, thick and invading their lungs.

"Oh... dear," Lee said, sighing heavily. _What?_ All four of them looked to him.

Sister Ino scratched at her irritated eye and the sand stuck in her eyebrow wound. Sister Ino cursed, "What is _sand_ doing here?!"

The huge dark wave of stirring sediment was... twisting and turning like a demonic twister above waves of water.

Naruto hauled Sister Ino onto his back. Naruto glared at the sand with fangs in his mouth, sliding into a defensive stance, energy pulsing through him. "Hi-chan, Lee, Maid- don't touch the sand! I got a bad feelin' about this!"

All of the teens were stilled by fear, petrified at the nature of the dirt racing around the alleyway. The shaded cell swelled with hostile energy. And the reek of iron... oh. _Blood._ Why would sand stink of blood and transit with fleshy consciousness?

A dry, raspy voice cracked out with the essence of baked sand dunes snaked into her ear, parching her mouth. "Lee, you can't escape like tha-"

"Why does the sand _know_ you?!" Hinata asked Lee.

"Hi-chan, I can explain!" Lee's face went _white._ "You all must remain calm. Great help is on the way. He is just confused at the moment-"

"Sand can't be confused! And who is _he_?" Naruto yelled worriedly. "Who's doing this? And Lee, what the hell do you mean help is on the way?"

Lee sweat _more_ buckets. "Ano, guys, I-"

"What haven't you told us?" Hinata reached out to Lee, shaking his arms. "You have to-"

By the time Hinata could lead another sentence, sand seized her body. And momentarily, she was a substance, without weight. She was bulldozed over with the authority sand shouldn't have! Dragged through filth, screaming her breaths. Everything was blurred. Everyone else was in crisis, too! Because of sand!

Naruto struck the sand that was too fast, defending Sister Ino and trying to get Hinata. The three dwarves were swallowed by its mass and strength. Their weapons were swallowed. Everyone was being swallowed!

 ** _Bellenero!_** Nero grit out, **_you can't touch this blood-soaked earth. I don't even have a number of how many the owner of the sand has killed!_**

Being thrown around, it was hard to concentrate. _Owner? This sand is being controlled by someone?_

 ** _Exactly._**

That just got better! Great. _Great_! She can't breathe! She can't focus! Being thrown around by some psychopath with _SAND_! Why? Lee was going ballistic in the cell, trying to yell out for someone to stop their commotion!

Then, the dwarves got the upper hand.

Lee hesitated for a moment and the blonde dwarf plucked him off his feet. "What the devil are you lasses doing? You're gonna kill us. We only want _Blue Iron Water_ not this shitstorm! What's the big problem with that? This sand is going to kill ALL of us now!"

The confused screaming and dust initiated a sandstorm. "Uh, um," Lee drooped in the man's arms. "I've got an explanation for this!"

The blond dwarf shook Lee's body. "Screw your explanation, I want your Blue Iron Water. By withstanding this, you've earned the right to choose where you die. We all did-"

And it stopped. But Hinata was still off of the ground! This weightlessness was much too overwhelming. Her mouth was where her acidic stomach was. Everything tasted like bile and trash.

Footsteps were composed and heavy in the warm air. It came from the left, where the dwarves earlier entered. ** _That's him!_** Nero affirmed.

Emerged from the murky clouds of sand, a randy teen with mussed copper hair that covered disordered eyes stood. He was Naruto's height, in a maroon jacket with three golden clasps. The most outlandish thing about him was his tattoo. A character for love where his eyebrows should be.

A kanji for love?

 ** _His existence has anything but. He smells like a killer, an enemy of No-noses and Alpoje,_** Nero gnarred. _**Look at his hand!**_

Hinata did.

Radiantly glowing vials with blue, blue liquid were in his hand. It was pulchritudinous. His sand carried two crates of vials. The rareness of the Blue Iron Water twinkled with the endless capacity to disassemble the world in a beautiful, vulgar way.

"Boy. You've stumbled onto the biggest and deepest trove of gold in the stata of luck," the blonde dwarf muttered.

Lee looked flustered as the dwarves' jaws fell to the grime, greed salivating and dribbling off in their tones.

"How did you find all of this before the sky took you?" The ginger dwarf said, tears drowning his eyes. He took off his helmet, clutching his heart.

Hinata felt fear bat against her ribcage. She got a good look at the remote, reserved teen.

The murderous teen boy's eyes were ominously darker than Naruto's, lacking the dazzling optimism and daytime. The black lining the teen's slender eyes made them dramatically more sinister. His slack face and almond cream coloured skin just added to this carelessness towards... human life.

Disregarding the dwarves, the dull-eyed teal boy said, "Can this return what's mine?" He gestured to the Blue Iron Water he possessed.

"Er, boy, you've got our most favoured weapon to dwarves," The miry dwarves all shared pre-emptive smug looks. "You give us all them and we let all of them go." the ginger shrugged.

The teenager frowned... a diminutive change but made Hinata uncomfortable.

"You're still hurting what's _mine_." The teen's unadulterated rage tightened the sand holding onto Hinata and everyone else.

They all searched the room. The only one the teen addressed was the blond dwarf shaking... Lee.

"Let Hi-chan go, put her down," Naruto got beside Hinata then glared at the teen. "His? What the hell do you mean Bushy Brows is _yours_?"

The teen's eyes flared. His narrowed expression amplified his cross behaviour. He folded his arms, _glaring_.

Naruto glared back. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked gingerly. Naruto turned to the blond dwarf suspending the struggling Lee. The dwarf appeared unaffected by the importune kicking and weights from Lee.

"Why're you holding Bushy Brows?! Let him go!" he raged.

Temperature burning, the other pair of dwarves glowered at the blonde dwarf. "For bloody goodness sake, get your claws off of him! This nice young man would like his property protected, yes?" the ginger dwarf (the leader) said to the blond dwarf.

He was talking nice and smiling nicely at the other murderous ginger teen. The blonde dwarf released Lee with stunning tenderness and care. He even patted Lee's head with a pained smile stapled on his face.

"You have done right by leaving your property with us." The ginger dwarf complimented with a saccharine smile. He rubbed his hands conspiratorially, practically drooling for the crates.

Lee tested his ankle and bruises while the ginger dwarf gracefully slithered to his side. "Y-your friends are safe, too," he wiped Lee off forcefully. "Right lads! They're _safe_!" The ginger dwarf asked emphatically from his companions.

The dwarves dutifully nodded a million times. The teen boy's eyes narrowed into slits.

Hinata... couldn't breathe. A belt was around her chest and lungs and throat. _Help._

"Yes! See boy, they're safe and perfect." The ginger dwarf sang convincingly, clapping his hands together. "You can leave with your friends if I _could only just get the crate of lovely Blu-"_

"No." the teen proclaimed impassibly, motionless as marble.

The three dwarves gasped. "No?"

The teenager tilted his head, lifting a long arm to point. "No," he said. "I only want him."

Him? Across the cell, Lee gave a small but exuberant wave. What? Naruto's eyes were aflame, blood seething.

Lee spoke fast and fervidly, charmed by this murderous teen. "I apologize for getting lost. I didn't mean to lose you in the trip because there was someone who looked-"

The teen held up a hand. "You're hurt." the teen stated lamentably.

Lee chuckled breathily, shy all of the sudden. "It's a scratch or two."

Lee had rough skin, and he was bandaged, too. The other teenager of the sand knew this. However, Hinata didn't care because she was running out of air. Nero was disquieted.

"Racoon-looking guy with no eyebrows, will you release Hi-chan now? She's turnin' blue," Naruto grit his teeth.

The teenager ripped away his gaze from Lee as if Naruto interrupted something important.

"Wanna do it before I turn _you_ into dust?" Naruto demanded.

The teen sighed like Naruto exhausted him.

"Oi! Put her down and we'll treat you nicely! Are ya listening to me?" Naruto yelled.

The teen ignored Naruto, focusing intensely on Lee.

The ginger dwarf said, "You criminals could sort this drama out of jail. Er, those precious vials of yours go for a lot a piece and we were wondering if we could leave now, you have what you want. Let us get what we want." The dwarf moved restlessly.

"He's hurt," the teen asserted again with more force. "You hurt my precious thing. Now I will do the same."

The red-head teen kicked over the crate of the blue vials. The splash released the smell of fresh energy, replacing the abject filth. The broken glass let out a shocking sound but all the fruit was restored, blooming at accelerated paces.

Wonderfully virulent with pops of colour, the cell was a small garden as the Blue Iron Water. It was... magic before Hinata's dimming eyes. A healing miracle.

The dwarves were beet red from their united anger, shouts and shouts arising from all three. The teen watched apathetically. He walked over to Lee in gradual, measured steps. Upon seeing the green beast, his sand's hold on Hinata loosened.

Hinata's breaths were shallow. She's... back to slashing the man. His blood. Her sword. His body. Her hands. His death. Her fault. And she's... she's falling-

Naruto caught her, holding her away from the teen. "You alright? This bastard's gotten a tight hold on you. You got any sore spots, Hi-chan?" he pressed her to his chest, cradling her.

She shook her head. Her hand hurt but that was something else.

"That... man smells like death and funerals," she said simply. Her whole body was sullied with sand. "I think I need new clothes."

Naruto remembered their previous conversation. "Yeah! I'll take you," he said but stared only at the teenager.

Sister Ino held up an apple blossom, in the distance. "How did the Cursed Blue Doctor of Medicine bring back life if she killed the King... the closest thing to God?" she inspected its colour and green, green stem. She put it away in her black dress and smiled at Hinata. "I'll beat up that weird guy. Poison him, maybe."

Eyeing the peculiar teen and the dwarves vigilantly, Naruto settled the nauseous Hinata upon the bench.

The dwarves let out another chorale of screams. The red-head teen spilled all of the vials except for two. Carelessly, he tossed one vial to the ginger and one to the blonde dwarf upon Lee's vigorous requests.

Looking at the worn, ravenous for air Hinata and the cowering Sister Ino, Lee was devastated.

"Lee, tell me everything about this bastard!" Naruto ordered.

The teen moved forward. "Do _not_ speak to him like that," he said in a thorny voice.

Lee shifted. "Gaara-kun, these are my friends! I joined them since I thought it was a better chance of getting them to help us find our master! You cannot just choke Hi-chan, or chase Naruto. We're brothers and family now." Lee testified, rushing out his words. "We have to be kind."

Gaara- _kun_ looked hostile. "Don't touch him ever again or you'll see consequences."

The dwarves stared at Gaara and the beautiful product seeping into the cell concrete. They were completely aghast, sputtering for explanations. "You weren't supposed to waste all of our precious Blue Iron Water, brat! You and your gang aren't supposed to waste like this!" They all fumed.

"Be grateful you have _two._ It's generous." Gaara drawled. "I should have killed you all."

An uneasy feeling went through them. Gaara could kill ALL OF THEM. Naruto balled his fist. He didn't like that.

The ginger dwarf couldn't accept it. "Ge-generous! You must be bonkers, how the HELL would we be grateful?" he yelled. His ordinarily unctuous voice turned roaring.

Gaara's incredibly swift sand thrashed through the cell, a ribbon of death shackled itself around the ginger's hands. "Sand Coffin." he simply and made a fist. The crunch was unforgettable; the sound of a crushed hand around a vial.

Crying screeching grated their ears as the ginger dwarf screamed. Everyone was transfixed, their expressions too horrified but Hinata watched the slight, almost nonexistent smirk of satisfaction on Gaara's lips.

The blood seeped out of the sand coffin. The sand... was dark with blood.

 _And that's why the sand... smelled like blood._ Hinata told Nero, holding her mouth. She can't throw up. She won't. She refused!

The saturated sand fell off at a fast pace.

However, the dwarf's hand was very, very healed. The dwarf tested his flinching fingers out, his functions and all of his nerves- he was scar-free.

The glass slid out of his hand, falling to the ground.

"You are _grateful_ for one," Gaara said, his tenor stony and cool.

The lifted dwarves, ribbons of death around their throats. Their weapons were useless, chomped up like a thin can. Their feet flailed, too. They didn't need the flat, colourless voice saying they wouldn't receive anything.

Gaara settled beside Lee, glaring at Hinata and Naruto. "We will leave. I have the idea that Lee's items were taken. I would like them back." Gaara ordered.

The dwarves were let down, limbless and senseless on the ground.

"You're here. I have all I need," Lee grinned.

Gaara glared at Lee, swatting the back of Lee's head. Lee yelped. "Gaara!"

They were suddenly closer, face to face. They stared at each other for a few moments, absorbing each other's presence. Forgetting his pain, Lee squeezed Gaara's shoulder with a winsome smile. "I'm fine."

Gaara ignored Lee's warmth and settled his venomous glare on the dwarves. "Give his stuff to me now."

The ginger dwarf whimpered, staring at the yellow sticker on the vial bottle. Hinata was so suspicious about Gaara. Everything about him was suspicious!

The quiet went on. Naruto helped Hinata stand while Sister Ino stared at vials, pouring leftover samples into a mostly unbroken glass vial.

"We should go for ramen now. We released now?" Naruto asked the room. "You getting our stuff?"

The ginger dwarf held his Blue Iron Water vial closely. The dwarves nodded. "Yeah. Get outta here."

Lee lit up. "There's ramen? I wonder if they'll let me buy ALL of the flavours."

Hiding beside Naruto, Sister Ino clasped his arm firmly. "Nice try, glutton. That will be impossible."

"Try me," Naruto smirked.

"Gaara and I will try a lot of them," Lee declared. He was already stretching.

Sister Ino looked at Naruto then Hinata. "Gaara's coming?" she asked with a hiss.

Naruto grinned at Hinata. "Course Gaara's comin', where else would he go?"

Lee shot a smile to Gaara then stared at his shadow. He acted as if Gaara had a good-looking shadow. Hinata's never seen so much appreciation for the darkness of a person.

Hinata realized they all waited on her words. She just nodded. "I want to talk to him. And we should have a meal."

Naruto cheered while Sister Ino gave her a frightened look.

* * *

Naruto somehow found a ramen shop around hardened criminals.

The restaurant dwarves were loud, open and honest. Battle victories echoed in the underground hallways. The smell of illegal ramen and harsh alcohol made them drunk. They had enchanted weapons, handling brawls with other dirty fighting techniques.

Lee, Gaara, Sister Ino, Naruto and Hinata sat at the table near the back. Their thick chairs were huge since the human teens didn't have huge rogue bodies.

Naruto left them at a table then returned twenty minutes later. Lee was positively on cloud nine, devouring his food, talking with his mouth full. Hinata didn't feel like eating and Sister Ino waited until Naruto was satisfied with his ramen to begin eating.

Naruto inhaled his food and mumbled incomprehensible phrases about the godly qualities of ramen.

Hinata was at the head of the table. Naruto was at her left side and Sister Ino beside him. She jumped for that place. Across from Naruto was the mysterious, stoic and slim and complex Gaara.

Gaara's sand added to the tense atmosphere, whispering like death. Lee didn't mind that Gaara radiated hostile energy. Hinata was more worried about losing a limb that finishing her illegal ramen.

Once again, this ramen shop was illegal but Naruto insisted they do something illegal after just getting out of prison... illegally. Hinata sighed.

Naruto stopped eating and his stolid and uncomplicated mind began short-circuiting. Sister Ino nudged Naruto. "What's wrong?" she asked in a knowing hushed tone. They all knew what was wrong. None of them would say it.

Naruto widened his eyes, awkward. "He... won't stop staring at me," he said jovially. "What do you wanna talk about, Gaara? Sports, the Empire, _ramen_?"

Gaara glared at all of them with the warmth of bubbling lava flowing down the side of a jagged mountain. His intensity and grit was in his narrowed black-lined eyes. "I hate all of you," Gaara said simply.

Naruto choked on his ramen, coughing hysterically. Hinata dropped her chopstick. Gaara has no tact.

Lee's cheeks were aflame as he darted his gaze between the three teens. "Gaara-kun! These are my new friends! We'll treat them kindly!" Lee bowed. "I'm so sorry! He doesn't mean that."

Hinata doubted that. Hinata lowered the meat she got for Nero and he chopped on it quietly. She doubted it greatly.

After enough scratching the plates, Sister Ino observed Gaara, clearing her throat. "So, Bushy Brows, who is your cactus?" she asked warmly, although it was an inflammatory statement.

Lee tilted his head. Then laughed. "We used to have a bunch of cacti in our old dojo since sensei adhered to the colour green." he nodded with confident dignity. "I grew up in a hot climate, as well as Gaara. Wasn't that fun, Gaara? Wanna tell them the story about how sensei got his eternal rival?" he added at the end, trying to include Gaara.

Gaara didn't even respond. He leaned forward. Sister Ino flinched. Naruto curled his bowl of ramen into himself protectively. Gaara was _so_ creepy.

"Of course a desolate, barren land was apart of his natural setting... habitat." Sister Ino smiled with hushed trepidation.

Lee released a frightening laugh when darting his gaze between the two. "No. It was filled with bushes, great flora. And raspberries."

Sister Ino narrowed her eyes with intelligent wariness. "Well, where he got his fondness for red is evident, huh." Sister Ino stabbed her meat that gushed some red broth. It was an unsettling sight when she chewed on it. "I think you should stop with your creepy moves, sinner. Red Gaara."

Naruto looked at Sister Ino, Gaara glaring at her and Lee nervously sweating between the three of them. Lee seemed self-aware as he swallowed. They all readied for the confrontation between Sister Ino and Gaara. It was ready. The whole world was reduced to that one room. _Ready._

Gaara did something shocking; he turned to Hinata. "You! You're getting on my nerves," he growled. "What is _your_ problem?"

Hinata clenched her chopsticks then continued to eat. She wouldn't play his game.

"You said you wanted to talk. _Talk_." he ordered.

Hinata stared at Gaara's sand looming around him. What wouldn't be her problem? "You almost killed _those_ who I find important." she lowered her eyes. Gaara huffed indignantly instead of apologizing.

"Guys, Hi-chan. Gaara-kun, let's just eat our ramen." Lee pleaded. " _Please_!"

Both ignored Lee.

Hinata continued further. "I promised I would _protect_ them. You try that again and we're leaving you behind. I don't care if you saved my friends or if you're God or if you have Blue Iron Water. I won't stand for it. I need them to help me as I help them." Hinata admitted, clenching her jaw. "If you kill them, we have a problem."

Eyes dead, Gaara said, "Battles are won in solitude. You're delusional."

"Friends would always fight for each other. That's why men don't go to war alone. You go with comrades-"

Gaara stiffened. "Everyone becomes weak when they get comrades. Find your own way, weakling."

"Comrades don't matter, you say? What is Lee then? Do you value him?" Hinata quizzed. "I haven't known him for long but _I_ will protect him too. Through hell."

Gaara's slouched demeanour completely altered. His wicked air became more sinister.

A fit of deep and dark jealousy filled his voice. "Lee is different. You don't talk about him like that." Gaara snapped- beginning to anger. "You should have protected yourself. You need to devour your enemies through bloodletting, alone."

Hinata shook her head. "You don't attack people on your side now."

"We are not," Gaara stated factually.

"What?" Hinata asked, knotting the word with confusion.

"Enemies have been slaughtered, I did not use those bottles of Blue Iron Water in order to help you. I came for Lee," Gaara's sand scourged the atmosphere. "I have no qualms hurting you all. I have no allegiance to you. We are not the same team. We are not on the same side."

Her chair screeched against the floor before she knew what she was doing.

Hinata got to her feet, pointing to him with her chopstick. "I don't care. Fighting isn't about beating your enemies and taking pleasure in that, it's about protecting your friends in order to live in a peaceful, happy world!" Hinata said loudly. "Try hurting any of us again and we will leave you behind. I will leave you behind."

Gaara shot up, too. "You're making the food taste bad, Troll."

"Don't call me that! How did you get _those_ vials? How did you get the money to pay for this _ramen_?" she gestured to the food Naruto shoved into his face.

Gaara's difficult attitude had the comfort of grating glass together. "We are not on the same side. _You_ aren't able to understand." He lifted a hand. His sand was agitated. "I'll kill any chances of that-"

Hinata was ready to climb over the table to shake some sense into him but Naruto pulled her down and took her chopstick.

Lee was relieved.

"Can we just stop with all that drama? I don't wanna deal with the next thousands of meals like this. We got ramen noodles, a roof over our heads, the police are off our backs for a minute and we're veering off towards our first damn goal. So, stop with all the drama."

Gaara and Hinata stared. Drama? What? This wasn't drama! It was a concern.

Sister Ino shook her head. "For lack of trying, I don't understand why your compliance has been bought," Sister Ino wrinkled her nose. "or... cooked. We have to acknowledge that _he tried to kill all of us._ " she coughed the last part.

Naruto gave Gaara an affable smile that Hinata didn't get. Why was he being so... so nice? Hinata pinched the top of his chopsticks together. "Naruto-kun, we've got to talk-"

Naruto shared the same smile with Hinata. "Come on, Uzumaki. Think about how we're safe. He got us into this Ramen Cave and we're getting calmer. We're alive, we have our hands. Plus, Lee got his companion back." Naruto pointed his chopsticks with a shrug. "Everyone's happy."

Naruto looked over to Gaara, with the goofiest expression on his face. He chugged the broth with vegetables, red-cheeks and a white smile. He slammed the bowl onto the table. Then, he said, "If you do get these vials the way you did before... I will personally kill you." Naruto settled his chopsticks straight up in his bowl. "Alright?"

They looked at each other, both with completely serious battle intent. Gaara's eyes lit up at the challenge.

"Except for Maid, you are all my precious travelling companions," Naruto said. "Now, get along. Don't fight around ramen, you'll spill ALL of it and it makes it taste bad."

Naruto gave Hinata a pointed look like _we'll talk about this later._ That minimally satisfied her enough. For now. Gaara was a real problem.

"I will crack your shoulder blade until you beg for mercy. I am _a companion._ Yours!Probably the most precious." Sister Ino said loudly.

"Let's not start this again!" Lee waved his arms around. "Oi! Let's talk about something else! Your fighting's giving me a concussion."

They all looked at the bouncing Lee into his seat, arms in the air with a large smile. Gaara looked as celebratory as a funeral, sinking into the ground like a casket. He was too bleak, too stark. What the heck was he doing with a guy like Lee?

"Lee-kun, how does someone like _you_ end up being with Gaara-san?" Hinata shifted. Naruto nudged her foot. She pointedly ignored it.

Lee shrugged. "Some things in life just join," he clapping her hands together.

"I don't accept that answer." Sister Ino tilted her head. "What would compel you to stay with Gaara?" she demanded.

Gaara threw a sharp glare at Sister Ino who complimented him with a smile. He was assaulted by his confusion.

"Guys, leave him alone." Naruto shrugged, polishing his newest bowl.

Gaara finally sat down, eyeing Naruto.

"Gaara has no eyebrows. Bushy Brows has enough brows for both of them. It's clearly love. Let him have who he wants."

Lee blushed, covering his eyebrows and Gaara seemed less hostile. He tipped her chin up, intrigued.

"L-love? I am solely- _only a_ companion of Gaara-kun. Why would w-we be anything else? We're not-"

Naruto laughed, interrupting his sentence. "Lee, I'm okay with whatever." Hinata sighed, to save Lee from frying his brain. "Anyway, Naruto-kun, how'd you convince those dwarves to let us go?"

Naruto put down his bowl, looking sheepish. "I sold some of the stuff."

"What kind of stuff? Were they the bowls, pots, pans, the swords? Actually, where is our stuff?"

Naruto looked at Gaara. "Gaara gave me some bread to spend and Lee gave me a place to go to."

"And how did Gaara get this money?" Hinata asked cautiously.

Hinata and Gaara caught each other's stares. Ill-hidden distrust and blatant aggression was there.

She pressed, "Ano, we-we'r-"

The zesty crunch of lettuce touched her tongue. She realized Naruto shoved a spoonful of salad into her mouth- which was so bad. Her cheeks flushed when she covered her mouth, furiously chewing so as to not choke.

"Gaara got the bread how he did and the food got into your mouth the way it did." Naruto grinned, patting her shoulder. "Your place is a hotel bigger than our shoebox old rooms!"

Sister Ino frowned. "The rooms weren't that small."

"And ramen doesn't taste like heaven," Naruto said with the edge of sarcasm.

Sister Ino frowned even harder. "You guys really didn't suffer at the orphanage, though." she insisted, eating like a delicate princess. "It wasn't that bad at all."

Hinata and Naruto exchanged looks. Sister Ino didn't witness the horror stories and their horrible lives. Sister Ino didn't want to believe it.

Then silence.

Sister Ino scowled at Naruto's hand. "You could let go now."

Naruto squeezed the back of Hinata's neck in affection then focused back onto the two men in front of him. "You both need to know that we're being pursued by some bad dudes tryin' to crimp our style. We're chased by idiots from the Capital. We're criminals." Naruto rehashed the truth with blandness.

Lee leaned in, three eyelashes absorbing the information. "Don't worry, I am one, too." he whispered.

They all were unbelieving. Lee was a criminal? "We've lost our sensei! That's the greatest crime of ALL!" Lee shouted.

Sister Ino rolled her eyes. "Any-way, we have wanted posters. Our wanted posters are there because I got "kidnapped" by these two," she looked over at Naruto and Hinata. Sister Ino looked to Hinata. "Tell them what happened."

And so Hinata did explain all the pain, concerns and dramas came up. Naruto gave enthusiastic whoops and inverted commentary.

After the story, Lee sat back with a sad face. "So, you guys were kicked out because of Maid's mother?"

Hinata nodded. "I don't think we'll be cleared of our crimes until... until we're caught." Hinata shared a look with Naruto. "Or... if we are executed for kidnapping Sister Hera's daughter."

"Maid came with you willingly. Why are you being punished?" Lee turned to Sister Ino. "The only responsible thing to do is to return and clear their names!"

"I will not return! I will not!" Sister Ino slammed her hand against the table, cutlery and such all jumped. Gaara set up a barrier of sand in front of Lee. "I can't leave Naruto or Hinata! So, if we have to run forever, I don't care. That's why I can't return. I have to clear their names when they do dumb things in the Capital."

Lee flinched, jumping in his chair. "Oh- oh, that is fairly noble. I didn't realize that your intentions had nothing but flowers." he cleared his throat, obviously scared of her. His eyes settled on the sand wall Gaara installed. "It's okay."

Sister Ino huffed. Naruto clapped his hands. "We've got time to kill in Forge Village. We have to get weapons."

"Why?" Lee asked, recoiling. "I do not like weapons. _Or killing._ "

Hinata was suprised. Lee didn't like killing? He wasn't like Gaara?

"We're going to go galavant in Dungeons, kill monsters and form a guild when we're Adventurers! Then I'll become King!" Naruto cocked a brow three times. "You feel the plan?"

Gaara and Lee blinked at Naruto. Lee's eyes filled with tears. "So cool!"

"Right?" Naruto nodded, high-fiving Lee over the food. "First, we'll get Tsunade, though."

Hinata sighed. "We don't know if Tsunade is alive in the Capital."

"Her cause clearly is." Naruto huffed. "We're going to help that old man and find good weapons. How else are we going to see each other again and again?" he radiated joy. "We are going to form a guild, form a kingdom, and then a world where no one feels pain or hurt. We stop the cycle of peace."

"Lee teaches me why it was that I was born," Gaara said. "Life is too short to care about pointless dreams. You will get killed by your enemy before that."

Naruto grinned. "Dreams will happen, that's why it won't ever be pointless. I want you all to be all apart of it. Maybe even my enemies."

"It's stupid." Gaara scoffed.

Naruto responded with a scoff of his own. "Aye! It's not. It will happen. With all of you. So, in the next hour, you're gonna have to get your specialty magic or even your specialty weapon." Naruto ordered.

"My going won't leave you cold, why do you want us?" Gaara shook his head.

"Someone told me I was a failure. I'll prove them wrong." he looked Gaara in the eye. "We're gonna scare off ALL of our shitty competitors. We'll make them cowards compared to the hard work we believe in."

"I won't ever believe in your dreams." Gaara bluntly declared.

Naruto laughed. "Shi. Shi. Shi. Then I'll show you." Naruto looked terrifyingly determined. "Gaara, I'm not saying to dream for me but once you don't believe in hard work, then it's gone. It's nothing." Naruto pointed to Gaara. "Get them thoughts outta your head."

Gaara scowled. He did that a lot for the rest of the afternoon while Lee and Naruto blabbed on about whatever guys did. Hinata scowled back. She did that for the rest of the afternoon, too.

* * *

The teenagers meandered around the crowded marketplace, pressed close and tight like packaged fish. Everyone was sweaty, hot and uncomfortably close to each other in the name of some sales. The things for sale were beautiful and gorgeous- she wasn't allowed to touch because of her status as a peasant, and _human_ in this case. Hinata kept her head down, not accustomed to seeing rich things without the nuns yelling. If the nuns believed her to be "wasting time", she'd get smacked then go without dinner.

Hinata wasn't used to anyone caring, really. She learned how to bathe, release herself, curl herself to sleep and clean up by herself before the age of four. She kept her business to herself, she wasn't made to run around in a market with a hyperactive blond.

Naruto was happy, if not nostalgic, but doting on Hinata. Naruto was obviously excited, seeing his childhood vacation spot made him happy. He grabbed her hand, got glares from other men and refused clothes he found too revealing.

Settling down, Hinata and Naruto leaned against a rail, watching the gentle water bubble down its path. They could keep an eye out on Sister Ino, Gaara and Lee from her.

Under the sun, Naruto set the bags down. How angry would be if he knew that Hinata bought 90 percent of the clothes for Sister Ino? Such a gentleman, he carried everything, even after she insisted on helping.

Even with all of his laughter and eternal watchfulness, Naruto had a faraway look in his eye.

She nudged him. "What's eating you?" asked Hinata.

Naruto shrugged. "Uncle Jiraiya and I would get so much ice cream here. We'd rob that man clean." Naruto pointed to a cart selling ice cream. The ash-haired father and a kid shared ice cream, joyful and spending time with each other.

"I'm just wondering if he's forgotten me," Naruto admitted.

Hinata poked his temple three times. "Family never forgets."

Naruto looked at the sky. "Our parents did." he reached out, trying to catch the sunlight.

"No. The adults of our life did. Our parents immortalized themselves by birthing us." Hinata looked at the sky.

"What they did was awful."

"B-birthing us? Was that awful and s-such?"

Clouds were in his eyes. "Nope. Dying and such." Naruto finished. He was dead serious and far away.

"You can't say things like that."

"Why not?" Naruto challenged. "It's true. Hunger and thirst caught up to us before we were taught to run. Mankind can't remember to feed their children. Our relatives don't give a shit. They are family. All older people are supposed to care about the young but boo hoo, they didn't. I wouldn't be surprised if Ero-sennin forgot about me." Naruto kicked dirt.

"I admit all adults do... They smoke, drink or beat on us. They forget us too. They forget that we need bigger rooms, too."

He frowned. "Even you think he's forgotten me."

Hinata reached up, squeezing the back of his neck. "Naruto-kun, history books can't forget you once you make it in them."

Hinata watched him space out until the clouds in his blue eyes went to the sky, making him look clear. Naruto was a new dawn in the afternoon light, framing his face. He patted her head, hands tangled into her bangs.

Naruto let out another breath. "You know what to say." he grinned once again, out of his funk. "Do you like the clothes I got?"

"It's not too bad for what mankind made." Hinata gestured to the bags of clothes, that she hasn't worn yet. "It's weird. I'm not used to people caring for what I wear."

Naruto nudged her. "I'm gonna take care of you. I'll care."

Hinata looked down, away. How could he say things like that? It was a silence that she didn't interrupt. "Forge Village is too big, and drunkards are everywhere," she said with slight disgust.

"Would you prefer the church?" Naruto asked jokingly.

Hinata looked back at the city sitting at their feet, all shiny and all shopping districts. "Never." she looked over. Naruto laughed his usual belly laugh. "Lee-kun and Gaara like the shops." Hinata nodded.

Naruto nodded seriously. "Lee... a guy who has been defiled his whole life stands up to someone who was during the time one of the strongest..." Naruto said, watching Lee and Gaara from across the street. "That's what they dream for. To be strong."

Gaara didn't seem interested, actually. His essence was made of pure disinterest. He just acted as a table or human hanger and tried to be near to Lee, killing the couple thousand on the side.

"Why'd you want them without hesitation?" Hinata muttered.

"Why'd you come with me?" he retorted.

Hinata shook her head. "That's not the same! He tried to kill you and I. You even said you'd kill him, too."

"They were raised like me. Fighting and killing is no big deal." Naruto said. "They understand what it means to be loyal and being killed for going against these rules."

Hinata shifted. "That's awful." she dug her hands into her arms. She... she was like them.

He nudged her. "They've got that sullen air of orphan blood and they fight. It's better to have them on our side." Naruto said.

"Gaara doesn't want that," Hinata answered.

"He wants to be on Lee's side."

"We're not Lee." Hinata countered.

"My old man Uncle Jiraiya said to me when training got too much... That damn slave driver with lechery." Naruto sighed, getting over is old memories. "He'd say, "You have all your wounds, Naruto, but push through more lightning and more battlefields and more twisters." and then I would understand perseverance. They're looking for their sensei, yeah?"

Hinata nodded.

"They're looking for someone. Dreaming away together, though they don't know it, at all. Don't you think I should give them a chance?"

Nor Gaara or Lee wants to be admired. They don't want to even gain the rewards and the respect that follows. Lee dropped a pink roll of fabric silk onto Gaara, almost wrapping it around him, but Gaara... didn't kill him and wouldn't ever.

"You know, after a while after the Ichiraku's ramen, I think you'll want to be with me everywhere," Naruto said nonchalantly. He crossed his arms with a successful smile. "It's only normal Gaara wants to watch me be awesome after sharing ramen, all feelings are understood."

Hinata watched Gaara, possessive and purposeful, stand around Lee with fighting spirit. Hinata scrunched up her expression. "I don't think it works like that. It wasn't because of ramen."

It was the fact that Lee liked them that spared the lives of Sister Ino, Naruto and Hinata. He just can't see that.

"I bet 48 bowls of ramen that it's true. You'll have those moments. Gaara had that moment too." Naruto rolled his eyes.

Hinata shook her head. "I think he waved at them when they passed by."

"He's following my orders- look, look!-" Naruto pointed to the duo. They were actually buying gear! They were going to listen to Naruto.

"Gaara will fight you on every step of the way," Hinata said quietly. "He won't go through hell for you. He will make it _hell_ for you."

Naruto beamed. "I'd rather have people disagreeing with me but it's nice to have someone on my side. I can't put them off, anyway."

She sighed. She won't change his mind anyway. "Fine. I'll tolerate him and his evil countenance. I adore Lee-kun."

He clapped her on the back. "That's the spirit. Don't adore him too much."

Naruto and Hinata shared a grim sigh when they noticed where their little ones were. Hinata stared at Gaara's sand jump scaring a family, the later running in terror.

Hinata face-palmed. _I'll be babysitting these demons for the rest of the trip to the Capital,_ Hinata thought _._

Naruto laughed at the whole thing.

Lee began haggling for prices of all the green clothes he got.

People scurried past them and the booth owner was quite scared of Gaara.

"They'll be nice to have around. Lee is ridiculously strong and Gaara..." Naruto sighed. "Wherever Lee goes, Gaara will follow. I guess I gotta lump them together despite the blood and the fear."

Hinata smiled at Naruto, who went over to Gaara and Lee to smooth things over. He began scolding them for causing too much trouble, which Gaara didn't respond to in kind.

A hurt spread through her chest. Naruto... would be a better leader. Naruto is framed in gold, shouldn't he have gotten the letter? He was the true leader.

Sister Ino began scolding and apologizing for all three of them when their shenanigans almost tipped over the stall.

Hinata found herself walking over, sighing.

They're orphans, it's strange for them to take care of others but Hinata has been doing weird things lately. What was one more?

* * *

-End Chapter-


	7. Forge Village Arc: Jewels

**Bellenero** **:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 6-  
Jewels

* * *

Hinata stood at the pricey corner of the market, staring at the jewels behind glass and out laying in velvet-cushioned trays. She's never seen the necklaces and crystals so close, she was afraid she'd break one of them. Was she worth standing so closely?

She waited for the owner to tell her to stay away but nothing came. He smiled with gentle eyes. The sound of beads sliding down the string with its clicking filled her ears. He meant no harm, which was weird. All adults normally were… so mean.

It was also embarrassing, to reach to her neck. She really wanted the gray one called gray moonstone. It made her wonder if she would ever be important enough to wear jewelry.

Nero was grumbling about the heat so she went inside of a restaurant. It seemed normal, all great and normal. Dim candle lights, large tables with heaps of food. They could cool off here. The air was breathing heavy but the cool brushes of cold was nice.

However, there was conflict in the corner, which made her nervous. Hinata tried to ignore it since the bartender gave her almost a gallon of fuzzing beer when she sat at the liquor table for too long. Hinata looked at the gruff bartender with a soft aura. "I can't pay for this-" she started.

"That's fine. It's on the house." He dismissed it.

Huh? She looked at the mug, cold, tall, filled with amber goodness with a hint of… sweetness and bread. "I've… It's free but it shouldn't… 'cause I-"

The bartender was confused. "Lassie, go on. In my mixes, we look for quality, not money or profit."

Hinata slid the mug away from her with a lot of effort. "I am an orphan. I just wanted to sit and watch, Besides-"

"Lassie, it's all okay," he said, a tad uncomfortable. "Just take it."

 _He's toying with me. He really was_ , Hinata thought.

Hinata looked at the bartender with furious curiosity. "Why aren't you hiding your tips and hiding your drinks?" she asked sullenly. "Be suspicious! Be… doubting. I have no money, I never have money, don't gi-give me anything."

"Why not?"

Hinata didn't have answers to that. Maybe it was the fact that he was lowering himself to help her. How'd he even tell she was poor and without money? Did she burden him?

He smiled instead of screaming like she thought he would. "I want to share it with you," he pushed the mug back to her with a quiet tone.

Hinata eyed the glass warily.

"It's our newest drink. Have ya tried our newest drink?" he asked excitedly. "One of our newer members made it. We're trying out new flavours."

"A-ano, these portions-"

"Little lady, when in Forge Village, you must give every part of yourself to our craft," he gives a genial grin. "Mostly because you fit in with your dark hair but you look like a lost kitten. Lighten up, yeah? Our doors won't be open for so long."

Hinata shift, looking at the froth and the layer of frost melting away. "Your doors won't be open for long?"

He cleaned off a huge mug with the ease of someone who's done it a million times. "Should night not fall, the Empire would make things dark. They're fronting and in a political frenzy about us dwarf-kind protesting."

"Protesting what?"

"The working laws surrounding our profession. They're goin' to war, they're conquering new species securing new magic and whatnot but they use us dwarf kind in terrible conditions. Unspeakably bad conditions." he sighed. "All I could do is assure them there was good Iron Water and a pub upon arrival."

"Is this Iron Water?" she gestured to her cup.

He laughed. "No. You're too human for that. I did give you harmless great tastin' beer."

Hinata sighed in relief. She won't die. Then Hinata stared at him. "Why'd you have to be with the Empire, anyway?"

The bartender laughed and laughed. "This world is too big, too blue, too gold. How else would we eat? We're a developed nation but we're also in the ancient times of respect for dwarves. Do you humies take us seriously?"

Hinata stared at his beefy arms, rough beard, open and calculating eyes with his heavy armour. "I think I would."

He laughed, the melodic sound joining the other dwarves. "You are funny, lassie." He poked his helmet. "You're one of the first. Maybe the last. They're going to cut down on human visitations. I think it's stupid but those chickens always cut their own heads off."

Hinata sighed. All the froth bubbles popped as the melancholy of the bartender entered the liquid. She held up the mug, struggling with its weight and frost. "You know what, bartender-san, I support your guy's endeavours."

His eyes twinkled with mirth. "Yeah?"

Hinata nodded. She lifted the cup to her lips and he laughed when she frantically coughed and heaved. Hinata wiped away the mustache residue, flustered and shaking her head. It didn't taste awful but it wasn't good.

"Your cups are a-awfully large, bartender-san." she murmured softly.

He chuckled as he pulled the drink away. "Most of our little ones down this in a matter of seconds."

Hinata sat taller. "I can take another one!" she exclaimed.

He was more amused than concerned, chuckling a bit.

 ** _Bellenero... You can barely handle a sip, you can't drink a mug_** , Nero barked in her mind.

 _I need to do like the dwarves do. When in Forge Village_ , Hinata said. _Take me seriously. Besides, how will I care for Lee-kun, Sister Ino, Naruto-kun-_

 ** _You don't need to learn that now! Besides, drinking isn't a good attribute of a caretaker._**

 _Oh, hush. I will be able to protect them._

 ** _You don't need to drink, only to-_**

Shutting Nero out for a moment, Hinata tried picking up the mug with one hand. Her hand trembled with the effort. "I will _drink_ ALL of this, bartender-san!"

Hinata sneezed and the bartender erupted in laughter. The mug almost fell from her hand as he took it away. She solemnly ate the muffin he gave on the house. Come to think of it, she wouldn't have been able to pay, anyway.

The Empire didn't seem to be a friend nor a foe of the dwarves. Strange world. Humans won't even be allowed in the village, the hub of the East. Even the dwarves had cool inventions in the marketplace. Lee and Naruto dually begged Gaara to buy them every second cool thing they saw.

For a while, the bartender and Hinata engaged in conversation, him giving her food and he went to start his job again. She began people-watching. Those irritated voices started again, louder too.

"Lady Remus, you cannot abandon your post! Lord Atumo needed thirty representatives for the party. Lord Orochimaru will be in the village for checking for his ranks being equipped with the finest weaponry! You know the times we have is short!" A man yelled at… Remus?

"All women are ordered to wear green. You know I hate green!" Remus whined.

Remus was a woman with long legs that could be noticed from afar, a high nose and bushy dark hair that could maybe tame a mountain bear. She was enchantingly beautiful, in a slender way that most dwarf women did not possess.

Some were interested in the shouting conflict but most stared at her bewitching aura.

"Any colour would suit our ladies," the bartender said quietly, stroking his beard. "Remus's pure tidy."

Hinata craned around to look at Remus. That woman was delusional but acted like she knew what she needed. "I don't know who told her that green would… change her appearance." Hinata nodded.

"Beauty doesn't need colours to highlight if it's true." The bartender said wisely.

Beauty doesn't need colours if it's true. Hinata looked at the bartender but heard the catty scream that belonged to only _to_ Remus.

"You don't understand!" Remus exclaimed, throwing her arms up.

"It's Orochimaru's favoured colour! You must wear the colour!" The man she verbally battled with countered. His sunglasses were strange in the daytime.

"Then why couldn't HE wear the colour?" Remus asked.

Hinata stopped paying attention as she suddenly wondered; "Who's Orochimaru?"

The bartender seemed shocked, eyes widening. "You don't know."

Hinata watched him expectantly. "Why would I know?"

He cleared his throat, speaking with slow caution. "He's only the most fearsome Guild Master to have been."

"Fearsome?" Hinata sat up. "Are all Guild Masters strong?"

The bartender erupted in another laughter. This one was mocking. She didn't like it. "What? It's just a question." Hinata sighed.

He lifted his arms in subtle compliance and friendship, his eyes still wide. "C'mon lass, you must know the sannin and Guild Masters."

All she knew was that they command Adventurers and Adventurers give Hinata nightmares! "I don't engage in your culture, dwarf."

The dwarf shrugged, ignoring the pleading in her tone. He put down the rag he used to clean the glasses that sparkled. "Guild Masters are meant to protect their guilds. They're supposed to be of stupendous strength. They're the ones that lead, help, build their group with them at the front as a good, strong, shield. Orochimaru has that. He's apart of the legendary sannin."

"Who are they?" Hinata asked, with a slight worry.

"The Cursed Blood Doctor, Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Orochimaru were apart of Hiruzen's students. Cursed Blood Doctor Tsunade rewrote magic itself with medicine. Orochimaru is of extraordinary, vindictive strength. I wouldn't look him in the eye if I were you."

Hinata looked at the man. "Is he… Would he do something to me?"

"Don't give him a reason to change your existence." The bartender looked deeply troubled. "His guild specializes in the science of healing and experimentations. They have a lot of… er, weird gals and jocks, but they are much too strong and big for Guild Master Supreme to challenge their newfound territory."

Hinata sighed. "Do Guild Masters…" she gulped, unsteady in her voice. "Do they have to be strong?"

His eyes softened. "Not everyone who is a leader is strong. They have a quality to make people come together for an idea, what they think makes the world a better place."

"So, Guilds Masters make a world where they belong?" Hinata whispered.

"They're dependable, like a home." He nodded. "I am apart of a guild for taverns, an organization that specializes in making alcohol better for others. We work hard to bring better service and drinks." He was prideful and swerved away to make drinks.

Hinata stared. Was she a house? Could she be a dependable home?

"You a fellow Guild Master? There'll be a convention in three months. January 1st" he smiled. "I'll see you there."

"No!" she shrieked, jumping out of her seat. "I don't have much of a p-presence an- and I don't even know how to have a home! I'm homeless, now. So, so, _no_." she settled her chest and her red, burning cheeks.

The bartender looked over to the man who sat. "Mister, get me something light and flowery. The ale that makes women flutter to make good decisions."

The bartender smiled. "Right up."

She looked over to see the seat beside hers filled up.

A tall and charismatic man with handsome features was there. Hinata didn't know that other people had blue hair. She's always thought she was strange for having coarse, straight navy hair. All the orphanage kids were normal. They said that only Trolls had blue hair.

He slammed his sunglasses onto the liquor table. Hinata didn't know if she was angry with him. It confused her when he was studying her face.

His cocky side-eye smile was twinkling and great. He leaned over with a certain calm elegance, too. "Can I buy you a drink?" he had coins handed over.

"Huh?" Hinata stared at the man, shaking her head. "No. I don't want a drink."

"Can I sit here and hit on you for a while?" he asked. He was briefly nervous, darting his eyes for a little. It was a different image of the man who was the picture of misery.

That's an awkward question but she blushed nonetheless. "You can sit here but what happened with your… Remus woman?" Hinata asked, staring at his fallen attitude.

He had nice clothing. Gold lacing in his tunic with his leather boots shining in the dim, dim light. His navy hair fell in front of his eyes, covering his money expression and wariness.

"No. She isn't my woman, that place is perfectly opened for you." he smiled then lowered his gaze, carefully looking away. "Remus wasn't in agreement for the outfits."

"And you think I would be?" Hinata stuttered. She looked away. "Green is an… odd colour."

Hinata liked the simplicity of black since that was what the nuns dressed them in. They dyed all of the oversized dresses the older girls handed down.

"Green is the dress of earth, your robes would match life itself." The man said with immortal longing for her to say yes. "You would be dressed in nature."

Hinata shuddered, the strength of Orochimaru scaring her. "Would I really want to be around Orochimaru-sama?" Hinata scrunched her expression up, rolling on her doubts. "Why would you group others to be under his stare?"

The man sat up taller, staring at her with hope. "He's only here to get more gear. Our merchants and blacksmiths insisted for an exposition, held in Mayor Atumo's manor. His guild is majorly influential. He isn't here to cause trouble."

"Trouble?" Hinata leaned closer. "What could happen to me if his favourite colour attracts his attention?"

He took her concern seriously. "Unless you spill food on him or disturb his people, these Guild Masters will control their fiends. Besides, you will be in the kitchen. Many of those serving have been chosen. You must follow the theme of green."

Hinata stared at the frantic party planner with his panic. "I won't be in sight?"

He nodded. "You'll have to greet some and show instant respect but he won't notice you, I'm sure."

Hinata pushed her chair in and nodded to the bartender. He said the drink was on the house and she didn't want to be involved with this all. "You being sure doesn't assure my safety. I have someone to get back to."

She began heading out, Nero encouraging her exit with mild interest.

Leaving his seat, he jumped in front of her with waving arms. "Please, lady, you will be safe. I will have guards on you at all times."

"Ano, I-I'm really not interested-" Hinata said quickly. She tried side-stepping the man but he wouldn't let her go.

"You could wear the longest dress and stay in the back, whatever, whatever," He interjected. "I just need a person for this convention in about an hour. The convention will be tomorrow at six. You will be taken care of, you will be safe, that's all you could ask for."

Hinata crossed her arms. Gaara and Lee were probably overwhelming Naruto. Sister Ino was a shopping maniac, how many bags does she need carried? And she's wasting time here. This man was really desperate but she couldn't give in, either.

"Ano, I don't wa-"

"Y-you could focus on avoiding him then focus on the money you will be offered for showing at this convention." he threw out.

"What kind of money are you talking about?" Hinata asked, perking up.

He was speaking fast, anxiety and expectations on his face. He kept on blocking her, it was frustrating! "Coming from another human, you won't be able to find a job here." he released a long sigh. "It's hard enough to have _human servers_ as a requirement for this catering job. Double the pay is an exalting offer. Besides, all you need to do is wear a dress and slink about as a _human_ and hold a couple of plates and spoons."

"Spoons?" Hinata shifted. If she had the money, then Gaara wouldn't be paying. She wouldn't have to depend on Gaara. Besides, this would be a chance to see Orochimaru- a companion of Tsunade. She could do some recon and find out why that old man wanted to clear Tsunade's name.

"Do I have to wear nice shoes?" she asked with a frustrated smile. She needed to stop depending on Gaara.

The man was majorly confused. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Hinata looked at him with joy. "You have a waitress."

He was so relieved. All the restlessness and the strain on his face dissolved. His lips were no longer in a purse. He welcomed a non-disquieted smile.

"Thanks," he whispered, bowing slightly. His embellished tunic wouldn't allow him to show more thanks. So, she accepted it anyway.

"Is my friend allowed to accompany me?" she asked quietly.

She thought about Naruto. He would love to be around Orochimaru and all that power. He would get to kick ass and eat, which are his two favourite things.

The party planner was disgusted. "No. It is an exclusive event. Only those who are invited are allowed in."

"But my fri-"

"No buts. For as long as can be remembered, there have been invites. In Forge Village, those who can mine, sculpt and build are treasured, the chosen ones. In the Empire, those with magic and skills are those who are the elite. The rich could celebrate their money in fancy estates, but the warriors have glory everywhere. In the books, in the cities and on the battlefields our Guild Masters are watched by society but they are served by the invited ones."

"Why?" Hinata asked dryly.

"They are the ones who protect us with their bodies, not money," he replied. "It's the way we work. You should understand this."

Hinata tilted her head. "Where will it be?"

He gave her a package of papers tucked away in his tunic. "This has all of the instructions, locations and frequently asked questions with responses in there. It also has a menu, the proper service greetings. Memorize those."

Hinata looked at the scroll with alarm. She's overwhelmed, which was never good. "It's so long!"

"Our last girl memorized it but you're going to have to do the same with the menu and the layout of the mansion," he said, his tone balmy with undisturbed timbres.

"The layout?"

"How will you direct guests to the washrooms?" he replied with a certain smugness. "You must know how to treat your party-goers."

Hinata was skeptical, staring at the edge of his sharp eyes. "I thought I wasn't going to be with others…" Hinata said. "I would be in the back, with the dishes."

He ignored her trepidation and smiled even wider. "You will help where you're needed, that's kindness."

Hinata sighed, looking through the package. It was too large, too big and annoying. Then a coupon was there. She held it up with the obvious question on her face. _Why this_?

"A coupon for the convention's store items," he explained with the annoyance of someone who has done it before.

Hinata was taken back. "Why would I need a coupon? I'm not buying anything."

"You could give it to one of the rich dwarven men looking for items. Besides, you will see some items astound you. There really is no limit to the arts dwarves produce when it comes to mining techniques, craftsmanship and metalwork they handle. You will want hundreds of these coupons."

Hinata let go of her unease for a moment. "Th-thank you for this opportunity."

He nodded three times, already looking for his next business deal or employee. So, with that, he sat. Hinata sat, hushed with her new responsibilities.

"It's butternut. Try it!" the bartender offered.

Hinata looked at the next muffin the bartender gave. For free. She nodded her head in thanks and unpeeled it with its spongy taste and smiled. She noticed the other man staring. Nero found it creepy, so did she.

"What?" Hinata asked, eyes lowered.

He gave her a familiar twinkle in his eye before the whole desperation came about. "I know you're my employee now but I still want to hit on you," he said with a smile.

Hinata's jaw dropped. "What?" she flung around the muffin.

He caught it then set it in front of her. "I'll keep on drinking and till then, convince you to have a drink with me," he whispered.

"Then I will have water," she said.

He laughed, a tuneful sound. He still looked miserable. "You have the nicest hair colour I've seen," he said, pointing to his head. "It's rare to find. Your eyes, too," he whispered.

And suddenly, the headache was back. She looked away. "What does that matter to you?"

He smiled, a nice smile, without the malice she knew from others. He gave her his sunglasses with jewels lining its frame. "Many are also interested in your eyes." he reached out and pressed the sunglasses into her hand. "Beauty exacts a price no one is prepared for. Don't lose your worth."

"Don't lose my worth. My eyes are diseased. They are worth nothing but pain, you can have that, if you want!"

The man had a slack expression until a smile broke out. Then a grin, then she heard his laugh and another. In a matter of minutes, he laughed so hard, he almost spat his ribs. "Your eyes… Most don't know about your eyes but if they did, nothing would stop you from having this world."

 _What was that supposed to mean?_ Hinata asked Nero.

Nero shrugged. **_I think he's trying to make you feel warm. Where you feel warm is where you feel safe. This man is seeking your warmth._**

Hinata was confused until the man smiled. "I will give you contact lenses so you are safe. You may keep them. For now, wear the sunglasses." he said, hints of a warning in his voice.

Hinata looked over to him. "What is your name?"

"Just call me Elder." He nodded.

Naruto, however, wouldn't allow her to sit near Elder as he found her in the pub, cheeks red, and stomach filled. She didn't think that she felt warmth for either of them. Nero wondered, too. For himself, as he didn't want to see how annoying the pups be if Naruto and her had children.

She didn't think they would.

* * *

Later on, Hinata looked to the inn building they waited outside of. Well, Gaara and Hinata stared at the homey place with some distaste. Nero sighed at her feet.

Lee, Sister Ino and Naruto all sprinted to choose their room that had to be _the biggest._ Carrying Sister Ino didn't even weigh Naruto down.

Gaara stood beside her, with a sullen expression. He, too, wasn't absorbed into their hyperactivity. All the rooms are the same size, why were they like this? Gaara told them that but they didn't care.

Hinata gave a small look to Gaara. "At least you know the truth about the rooms. That's why I wait," she revealed with a wane smile.

Gaara strode forward, arms crossed with a gourd strapped to his back. Hinata shifted, watching him.

"Trolls usually sleep outside," Gaara stated, folding his arms to his chest.

Hinata will throw a left hook. _Seriously._ She held her sword, pointing it at him. "Killers _sleep_ in jail." she snapped.

Naruto's head popped out as he wildly waved to Hinata and Gaara. "Guys. C'mon, the rooms are sweet!"

Hinata's teeth ground as she stepped away from Gaara. Many people were around, noticing just how much distaste Hinata had for Gaara.

Upon noticing their bitter glares, Naruto sighed. He jumped out of the window and landed just there, in front of her.

Hinata moved away, trying to confront Gaara once again but Naruto swept her up and carried her over his shoulder. "C'mon, Hi-chan, you gotta choose a bathroom before Maid uses all the hot water," he told her jauntily.

Hinata pounded on his back, shaking her head while trying to get away. "Let me down. I don't need to be-"

He held her tighter and she swallowed her words while he carried her into the second floor. They were silent on the walk there, up the stairs.

"You and him gotta get along," Naruto said quietly. "Otherwise, we won't be able to survive our trip to the Capital."

"Why does it depend on him?" Hinata asked.

"I'd like to depend on the most people we could." he shrugged.

"I don't want to go anywhere with him, anyway," she said slowly.

"What happened to tolerating him?" Naruto groaned.

Gaara happened. He was too frustrating. And he kept on calling her Troll. With this job she'll take, she won't have to be in debt to his pompous person! And Naruto is going up the stairs, carrying her like normal. It shouldn't be normal at this point.

Someone who passed whistled at them. Hinata's face was in full bloom of red. Hinata went limp. "You can't just carry people around like this."

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely bewildered.

Hinata face-palmed. Naruto has no social awareness. "Gaara-san… Things are said and they change."

"I'll talk to him," he said, shaking his head. "I dunno why he's like this but Lee says he has a dark past. Don't we all understand that part?"

Hinata kicked her legs one last time. "Nero was left behind with my sword and papers. I need to have him."

Naruto set her down in the kitchen. "I'll get it. Just settle down and stop mankin' trouble, aight?"

Hinata ignored him and went around the corner, to get Nero and her stuff.

The suite wasn't too bad. It was a nice room. It had all the necessities with a polished touch. The appliances were shabby but it was a shelter, so Hinata accepted it. Despite that fact that Gaara was everywhere.

Lee and Sister Ino wanted to be in the common area, the living room. They were social creatures, who said, "Being around each other was the best medicine!". Gaara and Hinata were pretty sure they were wrong.

Despite that, they all sat on the floor, Lee talking Gaara's ear off, tucked away in the corner.

Nero sat on her lap as Sister Ino pointed to all of their items, all laid out on the floor with two sheets as a cushion.

Hinata's papers splayed all around her. Her documents with how the menu was set up, whatever was on display and could be sold was there too. It was very strange. All these expensive items…

Was it safe to stay in Forge Village? She-

"Hey, Hinata-sama, listen to this." Sister Ino said. "I'm going to tell you what Stuffs we have."

"Go ahead. I'm listening." Hinata smiled. She's been calling Hinata "Hinata-sama" for some reason. Hinata didn't mind, it was just a shift from earlier.

Sister Ino read out the list.

Stuffs 

7 silver spoons 1 gold statue of Jesus 3 pots and 2 pans 2 sleeping bags 2 rolls of toilet paper Three toothbrushes 1 document with Hinata's Info Meat, spices and dried fruit 2 pairs of shoes for Naruto 2 bars of soap 1 bible

They put the meat in the fridge, along with all the medicine. Sister Ino insisted on taking the medicine. Sister Ino was very organized, which Hinata took into consideration when seeing her fold their clothes and clean.

"Naruto, yours and my stuff are all here… I went all over this stuff," Sister Ino said, looking at the list. "I could have sworn that we had more things in our inventory. This is so strange, our cart was filled but now… I am seeing a great decrease."

Hinata shrugged. "There is a great chance that someone stole from us while we were in the line."

Sister Ino scratched her head. "Naruto and I watched the cart for a long time and Nero was awake, watching you. How could someone steal?"

Hinata looked at Nero. _Did anyone try to come into our cart in the morning?_

 ** _Nope. Their nose would be missing_** , Nero responded.

Hinata looked at the pile and back to Lee. "Lee-kun, do you all have things to offer to our pile?"

Lee smiled. "I wish but we came with our bare minimum. It's our master's way to practice simplicity."

Hinata gave him a soft look. "We didn't have much back at the orphanage," Hinata said sombrely.

"Did you also partake in simplicity?" Lee asked cheerfully, completely missing her tone of voice.

"No… It's called poverty."

Lee paused, awkwardly laughing. "Poverty is a way to live, as well. It's simple."

"It simply sucks. It's not a lifestyle, Lee-kun." Hinata laughed, ignoring her blush. "If I could be rich, I totally would." She tilted her head. "There are still lots of things I need to do without money, so that makes it worth it."

Lee grinned. "I feel I've found something precious here, too, beyond cash."

Hinata turned to him, looking at him squarely. "How do you feel about going to the Capital for this quest?"

He shifted. "We are looking for the best healer in history. With that, we will have so much fun!" he flexed his arms. "I'm going to get so strong when we find our place in the Empire! And you will be Guild Master Supreme!"

Hinata jumped up nervously. "Lee-kun, I won't be any of that! That's Naruto-kun!"

"Do you think it is too much pressure?"

"P-pressure? The pressure is immense!" Hinata sputtered. She's getting a headache just thinking about it!

Lee jumped up, kicking all of her papers in the process. "Do you need help? It is honourable to overcome obstacles by oneself but it is also respectful to ask for help." he nodded, winking at Hinata.

Gaara scoffed in the background. Hinata ignored Gaara, catching papers out of the air.

"If you do not covet help, I will support your sincere attitude towards your laziness!" Lee promised.

"You are a great gentleman… but I am not lazy," Hinata laughed, kind of empty, kind of sad. She gathered the papers and let them down.

Hinata sighed at his bright enthusiasm. "It's not that I don't want help… Guild Masters are the strongest people around. You and Naruto-kun… are the strongest people I know," Hinata held Nero closer, he didn't growl. He listened closely, too. Just like everyone in the room. "Why don't you want to be Guild Master?"

Lee sat down, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. He looked blissful and certain. "I have another dream; to surpass the natural genius that my master is. I cannot abandon that tool of inspiration. I find myself needing only my dreams to continue." Lee shone. "What is your dream?" he asked innocently.

Hinata pointed to herself. She… She didn't have a dream. All she's focused on was how her next meal, her next scolding, her next affirmation. She never had to focus on her dream. She never thought she would have to make a dream, an inspiration. Listening to Naruto talking about his dream was like listening to a painting or a memory…

She sank down. She… didn't know.

Sister Ino hummed a bittersweet tune. "Hinata-sama is going to stay with Naruto, forever. That's his dream," she muttered. "Your smile just grabs his heart, congratulations."

Lee blinked, not reading the room. "Do you mean that, Lady of Cloth?"

Hinata sighed, feeling the glowering from Sister Ino. She's a very jealous type and still so in love with Naruto. It's kind of pathetic, but enduring. How much space does her heart hold for Naruto?

"That's not what's going to happen. Nothing indecent happened, can't you understand?" Hinata crawled over to Sister Ino, ignoring how Sister Ino didn't respond. "I want us all to be safe, that's a dream. If we're all safe, then I will be fine with that dream."

Sister Ino flinched, her posture crunched up. Her gaze was cast down, fixed on the list. Being in love with him must give someone constant misery.

Hinata reached over to Sister Ino's foot. "How's your leg?"

Sister Ino frowned at Hinata's swift dismissal of the love Naruto supposedly had for Hinata. "I put some of that Blue Iron Water… it healed pretty well." Sister Ino admitted shortly.

Hinata stared in alarm. She used it? "You know what happens when you use it!" Hinata reached up and held Sister Ino's face then forehead. Would she burn up? "Are you okay? You know how dangerous it is! How did you have enough to use it?"

Sister Ino shook Hinata away. "I'm fine! I wasn't wishing to be strong, only healed. Besides, I prayed to God beforehand. It would have ended up fine, no matter what I did."

Hinata and Lee exchanged looks. Gaara leaned back, disapproval all over his face. Lee sat beside Hinata, both of them looking at her exposed ankle.

"Are you sure that would be enough to keep from the effects of strength and… you know the rest?" Lee asked, voice rolling around the room like thunder.

"I am not going to turn into a gorilla sword-wielder!" Sister Ino rolled her eyes.

Hinata and Lee exchanged another look. Her leg was healthy, with a peachy porcelain glow. It never seemed like she got hurt at all! Her slender ankle was healed.

"I am okay! Don't worry," Sister Ino had a ponderous, complex look on her face. "I don't know what came over me when I dropped the Blue Iron on me. It's like…" she paused, trying to get the words. "The substance listened to me. Like I could control what it was doing. It healed me. It didn't make me strong. I didn't want to be strong, I wanted to walk… so, my ankle stopped being weird and the scar on my face went away."

Hinata looked at her face. When the driver… Hinata, _killed_ … that man. He stuck Sister Ino on her face, and she bled. It was all gone now. This Blue Iron Water helped more… than Hinata initially assumed. No wonder it was so sought out.

"How much… did you use?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Most of the Blue Iron Water was lost to our cell but I had a small vial. It fell when Naruto scared me by yelling. That idiot." Sister Ino sighed. "I tested the meagre quantity out on myself and nothing bad happened." she cleared her throat and glared at Gaara. "I couldn't test the other effects because _someone_ crushed ALL of our other crates."

Gaara's scowl let off dark rays of dislike. "I do what I want when I want, woman," Gaara said shortly, tone clipped.

Sister Ino stood, putting weight on her ankle without issue. "We would have had so much more healing medicine in our repertoire if you hadn't gone all psycho on those dwarves!" Acid stained her tone.

Gaara stared, unresponsive.

"I don't have the square footage for all of your stupid but we did have space for the priceless Blue Iron Water that could have helped us all during our endeavours!" Sister Ino sighed.

"I owe you nothing. I wouldn't give you any Blue Iron Water if you broke both of your ankles." Gaara attested. " _Ever_."

Out of all of them, Gaara probably is the most disagreeable in terms of rudeness. Hinata face-palmed. Nero got out of her lap. Where was he going?

Nero answered her question with a shake of his tail. **_They're all fighting those on the outside of their childish whims._** **_They're all imbeciles. I want quietly. I won't hear any of their words from where I am hid,_** Nero told her. He sounded exhausted.

Hinata wanted to curl up and yawn. They were draining.

Lee stared at the both of them, a bit helplessly, "He doesn't mean that, Lady of Cloth!"

Sister Ino was spitting rage. "He does _so_ mean it!" she put her hands on her hips. "Bushy Brows, you can't lie about that!"

Angular and expressionless, Gaara said, "I mean it completely."

"You are so annoying!" Sister Ino had a bitter look on her face. "If you don't want to be here then leave, none of us would mind it if you're just going to sabotage ALL of us."

Lee was desperate. "Don't go!" he told Gaara, standing in front of Gaara. He turned to Sister Ino. "I am sure if we speak about this diplomatically, we will reach a solution that benefits all parties! Besides, Gaara-kun needs to stay with me."

"I will stay wherever Lee goes. I stay close enough to sense him." Gaara whispered. His sand whistled around.

Sister Ino ignored him and Gaara. She turned around. "Once Naruto comes back, I'm going to bring up these concerns for all of you punks."

"You have problems that I don't care for," he whispered, voice coarse and uncaring.

"So what if I have problems? Don't expect me to heal you, Red Gaara," Sister Ino announced. " _Ever._ **"**

Sister Ino left, taking all of the tension with her. Gaara and Lee stood close. Lee let out a breath. He stopped being a conduit for panic and relaxed. He leaned exaggeratedly on Gaara, who held him up effortlessly.

"You're crowding me," Gaara said.

"I like it like this." Lee shrugged.

Hinata looked away, sighing. She didn't have the time to actually deal with this. Besides, she was intruding in a way that was too personal. The awkwardness and arguing is too much. Nero was right. Too right.

Hinata stood with the intention to take care of Sister Ino. "Gaara-san, sensing Lee-kun or not, don't think you could push her around." Hinata looked over her shoulder.

"What would you do about it, Troll?" Gaara tested, scowling.

Hinata thought back to her sword. Hinata will sharpen it, and put such an edge to it. "She doesn't have problems, she has friends. If you don't care then I will help her," she whispered. "I will!"

Hinata walked away, going to Sister Ino's room. She was about to reach the door but Lee bolted after her.

"He is ill-mannered, with violent tendencies, and he's usually expressionless but… but I feel complete by his side," Lee said. "I know he's an inordinate man… However, please forgive Gaara-kun."

Hinata turned and patted his head. She didn't say anything. She closed the door on him and said, "I understand."

She closed the door and slid down, sighing as she went. All she needed to do was keep this house despite Gaara and Lee and Naruto…

* * *

-End Chapter-

A/N- Sorry for disappearing. I'm just trying to get my chapters together. Lol. Well. In the next three chapters, Shikamaru and Hinata finally meet! Wohooo.


	8. Forge Village Arc: Ocean Stuff

**Bellenero:**  
 **The Troll, The Demon & The Nun**

-Chapter 7-  
Ocean Stuff

* * *

THERE WAS SO MUCH BLOOD.

Hinata's sword pulled out with a gross squelch. He was dead by her red hands. Guilt soaked her conscious. A lightning bolt of cold and dread paralyzed her. She can't breathe. Her swords were heavy and dizzy her with a metallic scent.

 _What- what have I done_? Hinata cried in her mind. Then, she heard haunted footsteps. A face filled her view with frog-like eyes. His face washed in red. There's weight heavy, heavy on her chest.

"Bellenero! Bellenero, hug me. That's all your whoring mother was good for-" he whispered. His voice touched deep in her.

She screamed but darkness shrouded her dream and- and blinding light.

Huge castle, huge sight. Long hair smelled like safety. Jasmine tickled her nose. Salt on her lips and peace floating through her chest. This woman was so beautiful and familiar. And there is bloo- She's in her arms, weak, smelling of death and decay.

Her eyes opened like sandpaper, hand burning, salty lips in the blurred darkness. Her hand hurt! Teeth and puncture marks annoyed her- but, she can't breathe.

 ** _Breathe! Breathe, why won't you breathe, Bellenero?_** Nero kept on saying. He was yelling in her head.

Flashes of blood, her hand- someone is still in the corner. Those eyes- followed her everywhere.

 ** _Breathe! Come back to reality!_** Nero ordered, shaking body.

Hinata looked at his beautiful blue eyes and his scowl. "Nero," she said audibly. She sounded gross, images of that pretty woman and the smell of algae and iodine dominating her.

 ** _This is your third dream like this. You can't dream like this! Come back to reality._**

She burrowed her face into his fur, alive, alive, alive. She didn't know how much time passed like that, he just was warm. She won't be warm again. She breathed deep. He smelled like forests. Not like the ocean from her bad dream.

He grumbled about her being weak but she shrugged it off. _I'm chasing your warmth._

Nero shut up after that. Sister Ino was still snoring away, muttering about procedures. It was surprising that Naruto and Sister Ino could sleep like this. She flexed her finger.

 ** _You shouldn't keep on waking up like this, you know?_** Nero said gruffly.

Hinata pressed a hand to her cool palm. Nero's been biting her to get out of her nightmares. She hid her problems from Sister Ino, who slept like the dead, and Naruto was in another room. Only Nero knew. He healed her immediately but the bites weren't as effective.

It's been like this since escaping the orphanage. She couldn't sleep but she killed that man. A person. Why does she even deserve to sleep?

 ** _That's stupid and you know it. Do you know your annoyance and sleep deprivation affects me too?_** Nero coughed.

Hinata shrugged. _You sleep like a cat. More than a cat._

 ** _Don't compare me to those lesser beings!_**

 _You're both lap warmers…_ Hinata sighed. It's uncomfortable to sleep in a place where there aren't three or four kids with her in the room, mumbling and dreaming.

She got up. Nero followed but she shook her head. _You could sleep, yeah. I will go get something to eat. I'm too uncomfortable. And I need a break from being a chew toy._

 ** _You don't taste that good, don't flatter yourself._**

Hinata laughed.

Hinata's bones all ached. Time came onto her like a lion. All this red made her distracted from her stomach growling. She desperately wanted those slices of bread that's been haunting her nostrils for the past while.

 _I smell meat,_ Hinata smiled. She will eat so much! She just really wanted to chew on meat. Something juicy and tough.

 ** _How do you smell it? It's downstairs?_** Nero asked, genuinely curious. It bled through his drowsiness.

 _I don't know. I smell meat and oil and ramen. So much ramen. Naruto reeks of it,_ Hinata shrugged. It's like it's really in her nose.

Nero was quiet. She looked at him. _Do you want meat? I'm not greedy._

 ** _No. It's alright. Just smell away. Tell me if it gets better._** Nero said. **_You're smelling capabilities._**

Hinata shrugged, telling him that she will give him updates. That was kind of weird but Nero was delusional when he didn't get sleep. He wasn't as angry as he was before. He quirked his blue eyes, a creepy grin of satisfaction on his face

Nero was extremely pleased as she got up. No one was usually at the kitchen. No reason to keep her guard up.

But no, a figure loomed in the corner. She screamed but Gaara's dry voice snapped, "Shut up."

Hinata pressed a hand to her hammering heart. The muted colours made him seem fearsome.

Gaara scanned her body, speculative. He frowned or did this weird huff when he didn't like something. "Why'd you scream?" Gaara asked curtly.

Hinata's face burned. "Why not?" she asked dumbly, struggling to shake away the fear.

Gaara stared at her for a moment, his concern collapsing. "That doesn't answer my question. Why are you so loud while you scream?"

"Is there a volume limit?" Hinata winced.

"There should be," Gaara said without a shred of human emotions. His tone was monotone.

"What are you doing awake?" Hinata asked, rolling her eyes.

"I'm fine," he informed.

Silence. Why was it when she got water or when she ate, something terrifying happened. She couldn't just go around him without him being weird about it. She could be honest. Yes! Honest.

Hinata cleared her throat, waving between the two of them. "So, I want to avoid… whatever this is… I'm trying to fix something, this criminal situation that Naruto-kun was forced into, and you won't help," Hinata rambled.

"This?" he tasted the word, shaking his head a little. "Why would I help?" Gaara asked dully.

"You don't need to help but you… shouldn't hinder. I'm just saying I'm in a dark place-"

"Buy a lamp," Gaara suggested.

"That's not what I meant."

They stared at each other. He didn't shift his weight or fidget and avoid eye-contact. Hinata's sure he hasn't blinked once since their chat began. It was too unsettling.

"Will you always be awake at night?" Gaara asked quietly.

"I like to get snacks," Hinata offered a shrug.

He scowled deeply, tortured by her response. "Can't you eat in the morning?"

"No. I like to eat at night." Hinata admitted. It was when she could roam the halls, fill her stomach a little bit and find something better than the grossness of her dreams.

He stared forlornly into the depths of her eyes that she was surprised his intent wasn't shielded better. "I want to avoid your personal tragedies."

"I eat at night," Hinata reinforced.

Hinata and Gaara focused on each other with cold, cold resentment. She opened her mouth to say something, but no. Gaara went off again.

"What do Trolls eat?" Gaara asked Hinata.

Hinata turned on her heel. "I am not a Troll!" her voice trembled.

Gaara didn't believe her. This _annoyed_ her. His eyes were so intimidating but it was only a conversation. He didn't take her seriously. No one takes her seriously.

"What are you then?" Gaara asked.

"I know I am not like you." Hinata shuddered. "I didn't have so many vials."

"You are like me, do not act like you have been innocent. You shed blood," he whispered. "Last week."

"You understand nothing about what happened to me!" Hinata yelled, nausea in her stomach and crawling up her throat. "Nothing!"

"You are just like me. You like the blood falling, the thrill and the rest of your muscles being so strong. Taking more life from your victims, at the time," he moved like mist, coming closer and closer.

Hinata couldn't hear his next words over the hammering of her heart, but she managed, "I am not a Troll. And I am not like you! I am not sleeping in your hotel paid in blood!"

His sand shoved her against her the wall. "I used to feel apart from humans. I am a self-loving demon, a monster. You kill and you're supposed to when you're an Adventurer. Your precious Naruto has killed and you know that he would have done the same thing to acquire those bottles."

Hinata shook her head. "Don't act like you are that familiar with him. I know what will happen in the future, just… I am not a Troll. I don't know what you guys do to cope with the fact you took a life. Lives. I know _that._ I admit that. I just don't want to become a killer. I don't want to see death as necessary! I am only in this fight because Naruto needs someone at his side. If I won't help him, who will? I never want to feel useless ever again."

Gaara pushed her away. "That's not my responsibility. Trolls are useless."

Hinata sighed. "Red Gaara, it's too early in the morning to deal with this," she said, annoyed that life was like this. "I may be useless, weak and orphan scum but I will sincerely never become like you."

Gaara didn't even flinch at her words but she got her blanket and went to the roof. And guess what she did, she practiced all night. She doesn't want to ever become Gaara.

Ever.

* * *

The morning was lazy, rolling over Forge Village like a disgruntled teenager. Hinata was slow and tired, like a squirrel coming from hibernation. She practiced all night. Her arms burned, and her eyes twitched now and then.

Hinata's hands felt numb when she walked back into the heaven-smelling kitchen that surprisingly had food. Grease and ingredients were inhaled with goodwill. It… smells so nice but inundated her. And why did everything— she could smell the life going on. The flowers outside near the garden, the odd leather soles of Lee's boots and the sizzling meat!

Seeing the scene was much more jarring as sunlight coloured the cupboards.

Naruto was comfortably at the table, surrounded by heaped plates of well-prepared food. He scarfed down ramen and eggs with joy and loud agreements. Radiantly, Naruto was being doted on by Sister Ino dancing around, with the grace of someone who's done it before.

The eccentric blond accepted another glass of orange juice from Sister Ino. It was weird to see such a domestic scene between the two enemies.

Naruto slammed his hand onto the table, bacon and egg bits on his cheeks. "OOI! You should taste this food!" he called out. "Sit down, too!"

Sister Ino smiled, voice like truffled caramel. "There's always more." He cheered. She giggled a bit.

Hinata yawned, eye-lids increasing their weight as she stared dumbly. "What's this? Why do we have so much food?" Hinata asked, eyeing the strips of well-done bacon.

Sister Ino puffed out her chest. "I'm making up my worth and cooking and cleaning," she said, ushering Hinata to a seat. "That's the least I could do to repay you guys."

"And she's wearin' your clothes. It irks me," Naruto gave Sister Ino a lofty side-glance.

"You didn't mind when I served you ramen!" Sister Ino rolled her eyes. "Besides, Hinata-sama said that I could share everything she owns."

Naruto was disbelieving, slurping up his noodles. "Whaaat? Why?" he darted his eyes to Hinata. "What's the meanin' of this, huh?"

Hinata held her temple. He was too loud. They both are too loud.

"What do you prefer in the mornings? Orange juice? Milk? Water? Tea? Hot cinnamon tea?" she asked, trying hard not to disappoint Hinata.

"I don't drink anything in the morning," Hinata said quietly, thinking back to orphanage mornings.

She couldn't even eat most mornings anyhow but her stomach disagreed with this habit. The little ones ate first and took everything. She did want Sister Ino and Naruto to eat first, at any cost. Hinata pondered. Her arms couldn't lift anything, so what was the point in eating?

"Uhm…" Sister Ino tilted her head, storing away that knowledge for later with a strange look. "Okay. Do you like porridge, bread and toast, oats and milk, beans and toast or just cabbage?"

Sister Ino stared while Naruto audibly laughed. "Just cabbage?" he chewed through his syllables, earning a glare from Sister Ino. He stuck out his tongue with the mangled food.

"You're so uncultured," hissed Sister Ino. "A loutish man!"

"I don't even know what that means, so ha!" he countered triumphantly.

"Anyway," Sister Ino focused on Hinata. "Just cabbage. Some kids just liked steamed cabbage. Their parents must have been farmers." she brushed it off as she put away some dishes.

Naruto was disturbed, grimacing at his plate of noodles. "I can't imagine someone eating one food like cabbage ALL the time."

Sister Ino rolled her eyes, hands fiddling with her apron. It was a bright orange, matching the colour Naruto wore. Her outfit was black, but she wore a knee-length skirt. With a band of her stomach revealed, back dimples showed. Wow. She didn't want to be a nun.

"Your outfit… Sister Ino-" Hinata started.

"Right. This apron is a nice colour." she beamed, seemingly pleased.

"It's a nice colour," Naruto said neutrally. "Too bad the person wearing it is so rude."

"I am nice!" Sister Ino stomped a foot, offended, too. "I cooked you all of that food or you're a half-baked idiot who doesn't understand my full effort!"

He lashed out with a huff. "You can't cook yourself into my good side, Maid. You're still freeloading. You just happen to be cooking for all of us."

She opened her mouth then closed it. Her cheeks were flamed. "You are so daft." She threw her apron on the floor. "I hope someone puts a curse on you and are gluten-free!"

Naruto gasped, getting out of his chair. "That's real mean to say, you know that?"

"Screw you!" Sister Ino advanced to their rooms.

Hinata sighed, looking at Naruto. "You're kinda rude to Maid. Shouldn't we all get along?"

"What, you like her now? She steals your clothes!"

"You guys have the same atmosphere." Hinata sighed. "I thought you'd try to understand her a bit more. She's trying to earn her keep. Besides, she went out and cooked everything for us." Hinata gestured to the beautiful food she's set up. "She didn't have to do that."

Naruto shrugged when Hinata poked his cheek when stealing some bacon. "She… she would do a lot for you," she said, going to the bedroom.

Sister Ino laid on the bed, depressed and muttering evil words Hinata didn't know. Hinata laid down beside her and began stroking Sister Ino's blonde hair.

"Naruto-kun can be a bully. Even to those, he finds precious." Hinata started.

"Naruto's pretty dim and he's got a lot of bite but I like to be near," she whispered. "That's not normal, isn't it?"

"It's pretty normal, honey," she said, smiling a little bit. "I know I was horrible to my father before he left me at the orphanage. I said the most horrible things because I just wanted to be with him longer and see to it that he'd stay with me." she thought about it for a little. "I believe that we say the stupidest things that we don't mean to the ones we love. And Naruto's not very good with words."

"You know, Hinata-sama, Naruto's so rude and dense." she murmured miserably into Hinata's lap. "Get a guy who's too smart for his own good. That is my advice to you."

"Here's mine, you know, cooking is a way to a man's heart." Hinata thought for a moment. "Especially Naruto-kun. Where does all of that random enthusiasm for life and ramen come from?"

Sister Into sat up and pressed a hand to her chest. "His heart. That's the best place an obsession could come from. It's the first meal I gave him at the orphanage." she blushed, lowering her gaze. "It's nice to think he got obsessed because of kindness. He called the noodles angel hair. Which is gross."

Hinata laughed. "Super gross! He still wants to eat it?"

Sister Ino nodded, eyes bright. She hid her face in Hinata's lap. Naruto burst into the room, interrupting the scene. He seemed distraught and panicked all at once, which was kind of weird in regards to his eternal calm attitude.

Sister Into smiled, listening like she almost died. "You've got something to say to me?"

Naruto didn't even acknowledge her. "Hi-chan! What the hell are you gonna do, going to Orochimaru's convention?"

Sister Ino dramatically rolled away, pouting. Hinata got up and flattened out her dress. "What's wrong with going to this convention?"

"Conventions are incredibly dangerous here. Plus, you can't get involved with Orochimaru! That Guild Master is completely insane! He'll hurt you."

"I will only be a waitress. The affair is simple, I serve a couple of his guild members and then I go home. Sister Ino will cook something good and I will get money. It's all good, ne, ne, Naruto-kun." she looked at Sister Ino then at Naruto. "I'll even treat you with my newfound wealth."

Naruto wasn't the slightest bit appeased by this. He waved around the form. "Hell no will you get this newfound wealth. Don't you know anything about the Hebi Guild?"

Hinata looked at him. "What does the Hebi guild have to do with this?"

"Orochimaru is so evil. He's damn evil. Don't get involved."

"Wait!" Jumping beside Naruto, the wary nun shook her head. "The Hebi guild? You don't know about the Hebi guild? Have you been living under a rock? They're second to only the Rue Nara Guild and the Monarchs, the Hebi guild is super dangerous! They always defame people made in God's image. It's blasphemous."

Hinata shook her head. "So what if he's apart of the legendary sannin? He's throwing a banquet to get more weapons for whatever. I don't care. I just want to help us. I won't even be in Mayor Atumo's manor for long. I won't do anything dangerous."

"We already have Gaara's money and Sister Ino got us breakfast with her money. What more do you need? You gotta put your back on us. Trust us. Trust Gaara. He's yours now and we have him." Naruto said.

Hinata rolled her eyes. _We can't always depend on him! I could take care of all of you. I will protect them!_ Hinata thought. Hinata hesitated, noticing just how standoffish his blue eyes became. Would she be able to support herself?

"You won't go," he said fiercely. "I swear, you can't do that to yourself."

Hinata stepped back. "What do you mean? I will do anything I could to help this makeshift base. I'm seeing your dream through, as I promised!"

"I'm making a world where you don't have to hate. I got a feelin' that you're doin' this because of Gaara. He's a chill dude. We're not riding coat-tails by getting support from him." Naruto said softly.

Hinata was filled with hesitation, a bit scared but her need to get Gaara out of their circle was more intense. Both of them met eyes, both sincerely determined in getting their way. Hinata wasn't normally like this but the situation called for it.

"I'm doing it. You won't stop me." she took the folder in his hands and stuff her right next to her chest. "I won't give Orochimaru any reason to change my existence. He's dangerous but what path to making you king is safe?"

Naruto growled, a low sound in the back of his throat. "Hi-chan, you can't give excuses like that."

"It's not an excuse." Hinata knew that some of the papers were ruffled, sifted through. "I know you know where the location of Mayor Atumo's manor is." she gave him a strict look. "Don't come after me."

"You call and I'll come through. We go to hell together, Hi-chan," Naruto whined. "I don't wanna expose you to violence."

"There will be no violence. I trust the other bodyguards to keep me safe. Trust me to keep you safe." Hinata said.

 ** _Bellenero, they won't listen,_** Nero yawned. He casually listened to the conversation, rolling his eyes and spiking his irritation when Naruto spoke. **_Foxes are just as mischievous as they are stubborn. And the Priest will follow anywhere the fox leads._**

Hinata nodded. _I know. They're pretty stubborn, even when they should listen. It can't be that dangerous, right?_ She looked at Nero, standing at the door. _Keep them here. If any of them tries to escape, bite them._

Naruto sighed. "Stop talkin' to him and focus on me," he said. "C' mon, just listen. I like you being here."

"Naruto-kun, Nero will do anything to keep you safe. I trust him enough to do that." Hinata said, shaking her head at the man. "I trust you enough not to do anything dumb. Please."

Naruto didn't give a response, but a muted huff. "Hi-chan-"

Hinata turned to Sister Ino, who lowered her shoulders, looking down. She's angry again, Hinata realized. She squeezed Sister Ino's shoulder. "Just keep him from doing something dumb."

Hinata turned away and made for the door. She was almost through but Naruto tried reaching for her hand.

"Stopping you isn't dumb-" Naruto huffed, wanting to say something but the huge, towering Nero poofed to his full size with a menace.

His grizzly-bear physique with muscular, anthracite fur. His electric blue eyes darted between the three, long incisors licked over lips.

 _ **Go. I want you to continue,** _he gave her a nod, oddly not looking in her eye as she passed.

Hinata smiled, waving to Sister Ino and Naruto. "I will give you the world, Naruto-kun. _Promise_."

She bowed. She will pull Gaara off his high horse and support them herself. That's what she's supposed to do, anyway.

Later on, after running around the city and looking for Mayor Atumo's manor, she nearly regretted the action wholly.

Hinata still can't believe she's wearing this outfit. Argh. She got the outfit from a servant when she showed the papers, proving she belonged there. They took away her map and gave her such an embarrassing dress.

When she arrived at Mayor Atumo's manor, Hinata wasn't expecting such a huge, gorgeous estate in the middle of the village. It's with pillars and polished exterior with high tourmaline brick walls covering the building like protective armour.

There were decorations of various grandeur and expenses. The building had zipping lights painted on like stars with simplicity and splendour. Beer barrels, vendors and their greasy voices blundered into her ear.

People just gathering in thick crowds to exchange silver metals. The paved road had the most concentration lead up to a fountain spurting a glorious pattern with clear water. They festered like some bad wound but with a feeling of a party brewing.

The sun was setting, giving the oil-pastel scene a dark tinge. It made the smell of alcohol even less appropriate as the guild people were around.

They were scary. All of them had this cold elegance that disturbed her. When at Lady Morgana orphanage, the healers of her village had a homey, clean feel to them.

Their aura radiated something and their smiles made one feel like their assortments of knives, medicine and needles won't hurt but help. There was nothing harmless about these people. They looked like escaped criminals, ragged faces, dark clothing and knives in their smiles.

They're just like what the man said they were like-

"Fine weather. I would secretly date you." A smooth voice said. "Or openly. You look good in green."

Her outfit was green but that was the blandest detail. The tight corset with black lacing had her cleavage spilling out with her pale shoulders on display. The frilly sleeves were made of smooth black taffeta, just as the skirt had a damask pattern. She didn't like how short the skirt was, she hated it!

It was the navy-haired man— Elder. He had a chin with an edge of beauty. He wore a tea green vest with camouflage undertones. He still had the gold lacing his sleeves. He looked stressed at the fact she was still outdoors.

He stood tall, looking at her face. "You wore sunglasses?"

She nodded. The sunglasses lined with jewels were so… flamboyant but made her much calmer. She froze up, in this man's world, waiting for suggestions.

"You have a brain, taking my advice. I do believe your eyes would be sought after," he whispered.

Hinata inspected his expression. "You don't want my eyes?"

He shook his head. "Having a pretty girl's attention on me makes me happy. Having physical proof is quite ungentlemanly."

Hinata laughed. Maybe he wasn't that horrible. It was proved as he stood behind her, guiding her with a strong hand pressed to her lower back. "I don't recommend _staying_ here. These gentlemen are not afraid of oblivion," he whispered.

They halted when she heard a man screaming at the top of his lungs. They passed a group of strange-looking men crowding a wall. They whooped out of excitement and thrill while someone sobbed dearly.

Those with distinctive green vests emblazoned with a white, porcelain snake eating itself were the Hebi guild members. They were throwing axes at a priest in all brown. The man wailed as he dodged the pieces.

Hinata gasped. "What are they doing? We have to-"

Elder shook his head. "They do not like priests. They aren't afraid to show others oblivion. You will get your guard when you enter the kitchen. For now, do not give attention to yourself."

Hinata strained against his hold.

They entered the well-kept house. Its design was spectacular and many of its halls were wide, painted a light colour. There was a display of deep mahogany hutches lining the wall, fancy pottery and intricate wall designs. Light fife music chorused around and he dumped her where smoke was coming from. A covered arcade with fingers of smoke clawing its way past pillars.

Elder pointed obscurely. "Follow that and you're safe."

"Are… Are you joking? It's… It's a kitchen on fire." Hinata brought up. What part of this means she's safe?

Elder was uncaring but vocally addressed her concerns. "Well, kitchens are ephemeral structures in any country but Forge Village. Dwarfs know fire but they won't ever let themselves be burned."

"Ah," Hinata said quietly. She'll die. It was a nice world, been nice knowing it. "Dwarves are, er, immune to fire, though."

Elder gave her an impatient but companionable smile. He was charming with his blue hair though he was evil! It was like she was caught between looking at the ocean _or_ the devil.

"So, shoo. No hesitations to give this kitchen. No one dares come here. The banquet shall start in an hour. Half of the meals are cooked. Find me at the gazebo on the west field when receiving your payment." he said shortly, gave her a nod in the low light and jogged downstairs, where the music and danger was.

Hinata's chest tightened up and her arm hurt as she settled in the metallic kitchen.

It was a large kitchen, almost as large as the kitchen in the orphanage. The women working looked to be sculler maid, aiding the butcher who mercilessly yelled at the nearest meat carver.

The raging fire burst smokey spices and good tastes into the air. The shining pots, pans and kettles had various meals cooking. The smell of cooking chicken, beef, domestic fowl— was that cod or herring? It wasn't dried or _salted._ It was fresh.

All the embers and flames made her nervous but the smoke carried into a covered arcade. The black smoke carried her fears away because fourteen live pigs were roasted on spits. She wanted to eat! If she died, that would be alright since food could bring ghosts back to life.

But she would die here with the overwhelming scent of gravy in her nose.

The raucous and movement made Hinata pause. She wasn't used to such finely milled flour, the wealthy people ate smooth bread. Even Sister Ino's bread was grainy.

The people all tried so hard, plating and chopping and assorting the groceries too. All of them were stressed out in their green uniforms, preparing meals for the Hebi guild. A certain fear was there too, as they could be killed for one wrong bad meal.

A standout woman, a chef, brushed bristly graphite hair from her wrinkled eyes. She looked at her terrified underling, another small food-preparation worker.

"This is not the time to use _rotten_ ingredients in my kitchen?" The chef demanded, white clothes blinding. She had a crooked back but moved with the urgency of a young mother.

There was nothing soft about her, though. She barbarically bit into a garlic clove. "Did you even check for freshness or taste! You thundering fool! I spit on your resolve in my territory." she spat the clove back onto the floor.

What was wrong with her? Who eats garlic like that?

The line worker scurried away. Hinata cowered, pressed to the entrance. They were both terrified of the chef.

Getting some nerve, Hinata turned around to wash dishes. For a second there, Hinata won the reward of invisibility until the woman yelled at Hinata, again.

"Hey! Maid, you aren't allowed to stand there! The convention is starting early! Orochimaru-sama wanted to have an early night as the King requested his attendance in the Empire." the chef ordered, words sharp like one of her knives. "You are to go."

 _Huh? I am to stay in the kitchen. Is she telling me to go out there, with the psycho lions?_ Hinata gasped. Hinata would rather stay with all this meat! Even if they're using heavy spices to cover the taste of spoiled meat— Hinata didn't care.

Hinata gulped. "E-Elder-san told me to work in the kitchen wi-with the food si-since Orochimaru—"

"I don't care. One of my waiters quit. A tragic accident." the chef said between scanning the kitchen and mumbling some criticism to her nearest sous-chef. "Mix that properly. A spill is a sign of an irresponsible hand, laddie."

Oh, crabs. Hinata's eyes widened, fluttering around the chef's no-nonsense attitude. The Hebi _killed_ a waiter! An acrid taste filled her mouth. And now this chef is sending her?

The dwarf looked at half of the other scared line workers. "There are too many of you in here! Half of you are my chefs and the other half are cowards! Why do you wanna avoid the banquet so bad?"

The supposed half that wasn't meant to be in the kitchen stiffened, stopping their actions completely. One admitted, "Orochimaru-sama's a guild master. He's scary. He once kidnapped an orphan and took his eyes."

Hinata flinched. Through her sunglasses, she wondered— would he take her eyes? She was an orphan and people care too much.

"So what if he's the Hebi Guild Master? You skin a couple hundred orphans and you're suddenly a "bad" guy." the chef sighed, crossing her arms, a cloud of flour fluffing up. "Everyone on this side of the room, go serve the platters."

The chef gestured to everyone near the door. The right side of the room. Again, Hinata was on the right. Damn. It was the wrong side. Wrong side.

"But that waiter died-" Hinata squeaked to herself.

The chef's pursed lips closed and tracked her fear. "Oh relax, guileless child. The kid slipped and fell going to serve those at the high-table. It was nothing serious." the chef waved away, bumping her cook away and mixed the pot thoroughly with skill.

Hinata breathed as all the other waiters who went to take platters to the banquet hall. They picked up the delectable meals, comfortably relaxed and lined up to leave. She felt… safe? Well, like her life wasn't being offered to the tengu.

"Oh yeah, humie kid." The fire-breathing chef called out.

Hinata looked over her shoulder, into the chef's cognac gimlet eyes.

"Y-Yes, chef-san?"

"I lied. He was killed. Go serve the guest, all my pretties. Be nice to those who let you breathe. Food is served! Now that the moochers are gone, go back to working completely to _my pace_ , until your arms fall off! They can't have patties without you all moving your buns!"

Hinata paled. This felt like a really bad idea.

Was this worth the money? Was it? All Hinata wanted was tenderness and the truth and now she's working with a platter, deep skin sweating away from the open hearth's blaze.

Hinata sighed at the scalding bread and greasy meat sloshing around on the platter. _Oh food, what terrible things you must have seen. Church bells must be crying, should be crying,_ Hinata sighed. _Now I have to balance food and fear?!_

Shuffling like men off to the guillotine, the weary waiters entered the banquet hall. Entering this new dimension was strange and sad in her poor clothes when looking at the rich colours and scene.

The banquet hall was gorgeous. Magic soaked into the throb in her spine. The wine in silver cups, the table with fluttering tassels and the guild members sitting on velvet chairs like jewelled guests.

There was a stage at the back of the room, sturdy with a display of weapons. The gallery of violence astounded her for a moment. That's why the guild members were _calm_. Justified and calm next to the weapons they'll kill the next priest with.

When the lights weren't accentuating the silver of the sword, it was dimmed.

The only one sparkling was a slightly charming man with a clean appearance. Touches of his armour covering muscles with a zinc-grey fur coat cascading past his shoulders.

"Announcing Mayor Atumo. He's beginning his speech. Everyone shut their mussels!" someone yelled.

People quieted down but Hinata was distracted.

Mayor Atumo's groomed mustache, kind eyes and sweet disposition said he ruled through politics rather than fists. He looked capable of starting a brawl and levelling the city, though. He was a large man, intimidating but his disarming gentle smile under russet eyes made her feel at home _for some reason_. Was the orphanage home—

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Hebi Guild. I am proud to announce that the auction will commence right after I wish my good old friend Orochimaru a big welcome." he began, a gilded tongue with nice words. "He and I have been friends, working closely to dispel the illusion that humans and dwarves are not on the same pedestal. We are both equal. His guild welcomes the often persecuted dwarfs with the Empire's people. His guild maintained their friendship with our people, through economic trade, shielding the dwarves from those who attack."

Hinata looked at the nature of the dwarves and our Hebi Guild. They were comfortable and an air of allegiance surrounded them. An odd loyalty led the dwarves to sit, unafraid, by the Hebi Guild. They even drank from the same glasses.

"Dwarves are not weak but metal is handled by many, shared by one and all." Mayor Atumo said cooly. "Orochimaru's convention does encourage new growth as they continue to protect Forge Village from those who plan to defile our golden castle. The cursed Blue Iron Water had diseased our streets. We must collect the Blue Water those Empire lads illegally smuggle into our mighty walls. All Blue Iron Water have been confiscated to indeed encourage the flow of good products into our country."

All the dwarves cheered.

He smiled like a thief. "We must simply crack down on their attitudes. Surrender the wills of anyone who thinks they could challenge our people. Our nation will create changes that abolish this poison and we'll welcome new developments with the strength of a hammer and the grace of our swords. As our blacksmiths know best."

The dwarves had thunderous applause, the congratulations were wet as wine, ale, alcohol slouched in their huge mugs. The resounding cheers confused her. The man's tactful words reminded her of someone everyone respected. The dwarves and Hebi Guild members, who were all scary, were soft enough to thank and praise Mayor Atumo.

He got off stage. Hinata knew why Elder wanted so bad to be here. He was quick to leave the drab kitchen, completely disregarding the bombs and weapons, only seeing the light beams and cut star pieces of chandeliers.

All of the waiters had calculated actions and un-lupine smiles while they waded into these surgeon-infested waters. They were lucky not to smell blood or see lost limbs.

While Hinata was the perfect server, okay, less than good or acceptable levels, Hinata accidentally bumped into things occasionally. The drunk members found her cute, so they didn't mind. Now, she didn't think bumping into people would go over well.

When she turned to apologize, she jumped back, greeted by Mayor Atumo's face. Oh. _no._ Now she will die because of dropping desserts.

Noticing her expression and how eagerly she dropped her head, trembling, he seemed taken aback. "Ah. It's okay. I won't tell my head chef you dropped a biscuit." he laughed easily, seeing how petrified she was.

His warm coat looked warmer and so familiar… if that made sense?

She nodded at him, frog in her throat. "Ah. Thank you!" she bowed deeply, literally dodging a knife to the throat.

Most Mayors and lords were so scary, unafraid to kill or ruin those peasants who were disrespectful. Most could lose their lives due to lords' being unhappy with their actions… Or because they wanted to take advantage of their position and humiliate people.

"You're human, aren't you?" Mayor Atumo leaned down, having to because he was so tall.

Hinata nodded. He treated her how one would size up an animal, checking for threats and whatnot.

"That's so cute! You, humans, are so small," he said, chuckling. "Are you enjoying the banquet? We have weapons and arms but you humans wouldn't be able to carry them…" he said consideringly, looking at her small arms.

His wrist was wider than her whole arm. Of course, she wouldn't be able to carry them.

"Ah. No." Hinata stuttered. "I am enjoying myself." she lied. "You… Your speech was nice. I didn't know that Blue Iron Water was a problem… The Empire has been doing-"

His eyes became slashes. "Are you loyal to the Capital?" Mayor Atumo asked loudly, suddenly sharp with his words.

"I've never been there and I live in an orphanage. So, I have no idea where my nationality lays." Hinata shrugged, ignoring the monkeys in her heart. "I don't know what blood I bleed." she swallowed.

He sighed, understanding. "Orphans do have leniency in my village, though they do not have very many loyalties."

"Loyalties or not… cruelty isn't lost on me. The Empire treats you horribly and takes advantage of you guys." Hinata said quietly. "My friend got attacked because of those vials."

The mayor lifted his gaze to her small face. "Anyone touched by Blue Iron Water is worn by its powers. They heal, regenerate extraordinarily and fear nothing. However, man cannot live like that. Nothing makes you live forever."

"Love can make you live forever," she said, unassumingly. She figured that was immortality. "S-Sorry for saying that. You are right."

"It's fine. You are still a child, human." He laughed, cheerful and loud. "I love battle. Dying in battle would be the perfect man's death." His tone and voice took a darker turn. He seemed bitter… "Those who are free of human limitations… the body's natural cycle are not meant to be here. In my village, we are all equal. Anyone caught trading vials will be destroyed, surely and efficiently. Culled from my society."

Hinata nodded. Well, Gaara would be killed if she said something now. For some reason, she couldn't rat him out. It felt wrong.

For some reason, Mayor Atumo's words were disingenuous. His face was bitter but his words shone with infinite hope and envy. He kept on smiling like a thief who caught something he liked to steal.

It didn't help to accuse the perfectly fit mayor or treason. It didn't matter. Maybe she was tired. Carrying stuff, carrying her sword and not being able to sleep was ganging up on her. Unfairly. She wanted to sleep but on a bed of cash. Hinata looked at the emptying table. She had to work. What if Elder caught her? She fidgeted with her platter, scanning the room.

Mayor Atumo noticed. "Ah. I shouldn't keep you from your work. It was nice speaking with you." he reached out, slow and obvious and patted her head. "Stay small and adorable, human."

With that, he leaned closer and the fur brushed her open hand— That… That feels exactly like Nero's fur. He wore the Alpoje wolf's fur. He killed one of Nero's kin. Maybe a brother or sister! It could've been Nero.

She looked at him, hesitant and cold.

How could she trust _any_ of his words if he slew an Alpoje wolf for a coat? Could Mayor Atumo be hiding anything else? But she had to say something. He was keeping Gaara from having everyone killed by taking away the Iron Water burned and confiscated. He was being good and so bad.

"A-ano," Hinata called out. "Mayor Atumo-sama…"

He turned around, surprised at the urgency in her tone. "Yes?"

She shrunk. "What… What you're doing with the Blue Water… It's a fine j-job. Destroying all of it before more chaos happens— it's a good way to save the dwarves. I-I like what you're doing." she gushed out in one breath. "They're all gone, I'm sure."

"All out of the public's hands." Mayor Atumo smiled, greasily and eyes dark. "You're welcome."

Hinata turned away from his perfunctory, hospitable smile. Offensively self-satisfied, fresh as a mango.

For the rest of the ten minutes, she slid towards the curtains. Her eyes were always seeking for an escape. She finally got a breath of air when she found some hideaway to breathe.

He… was lying. What did he mean the vials were out of the public's hands?

Was this safe? At all?! Was this worth the money? How did that waiter die? Going back to the kitchen would just mean being sent back here. Naruto would have said something funny. She should have brought Naruto. Then none of this foolishness would make her scared. He would make everything better.

Suddenly, the curtains she found refuge in were whisked away. The shock made her gasp. Who could have found her?

What met her were corn-yellow eyes, narrow, dangerous and reptile-like. His skin was alabaster white, lavender purple makeup around his eyes. His black hair framed his face with a certain softness she couldn't escape from.

Despite how soft and slender he looked, he seemed dangerous. His hair snarled at her, though it was hanging like a dead man, dark and shadowed. He was scary. Again. His aura strangled her, thick with intimidating command. He was obviously in charge.

It was Orochimaru who took eyes, worked with Tsunade and was the honoured guest. This convention was thrown and tweaked for him to get the most pleasure and entertainment. She tried so hard to keep away from him and now. Now he sought her out.

 _Oh no._

She swallowed a scream but all she heard was an elegant whisper of warning. "Your eyes," he said quietly, "be careful whence in the Empire, little flower."

"Wh-What?" Her limbs became numb as she looked up at him.

His hand touched her trembling chin, a caress of possession. "You cannot be here. Tonight," he added.

"Huh? Wh-Why not?" Her teeth chattered. "Elder-sama in-invited me."

"That man. He must be the fool who gave you this." He looked at her sunglasses. "Your eyes aren't very well concealed. As much as I like my toys to prove their strength and themselves, you aren't meant to be here, defending your life. We'll meet later. Stay safe until then."

There was going to be the next time.

"Don't look like that. I won't hurt you," he paused. "Yet."

He whisked away, uninterested in her now. He drifted around. Her heart kept on pounding, tight again. What was _that_? She survived. She survived. Well _, she thought._ Someone grabbed her wrist and covered her mouth when alarms came on.

* * *

 _20 minutes earlier._

Naruto hated it when his companions disappear on him. He didn't even know _why_ Hi-chan was being so damned weird. People normally quit Naruto on a lot of bases. However, when he found someone precious, he'd stop them from doing dumb things. He tried to take care of his comrades. They were everything to him.

Ever since Hinata left, that dog Nero tried to bite off his head.

Maybe if it followed through, Naruto'd get a new brain and he could have figured a way to stop her from throwing away her life. He let her be dumb. Damn it.

Usually, Hinata's the one who followed him into this chaos with his normal thoughtlessness. He didn't know her all that well, and he wanted to.

At the orphanage, he'd always be doing dumb shit to make _suuuper_ boring days fun. He'd mess with the candles, hide the bibles. One time he dyed all of the nun's clothes pink. God good times with a twist and colour.

Maybe watching Hinata would have been interesting. It woulda meant him understanding why she would do this. She was a quiet, unassuming girl. Most of the time, all that she believed in was anguish.

Hi-chan's the taciturn friend, always slow to agree. She never would do this unless she was in deep trouble. Looking at her huge eyes, soft body made everyone want to protect her. But she wouldn't have any of that.

They were orphans and he'd never had someone who actively wanted to take care of him and see his dreams through. No one cared about his future but no one knows about his past before her.

He had to keep her safe from Orochimaru. She was already unhinged from killing that guy. She's also been smelling things more, which is weird. He had to protect her.

Time oozes out from the inside and he would steal everything back. Instead of crying to the sky, and recklessly running towards tomorrow, he'd keep her safe. Even Lee, Gaara and Sister Ino.

If she would run, then he's going to come after her. He was her friend, after all. Naruto was pretty slow for a watchdog. So, he came to the huge-ass manor Mayor Atumo had instead of letting her run.

Naruto knocked out three guys and one waitress. They were trying to interrupt his busy steps but he kicked their bastard down. They all got suitable outfits and hid behind the east wall, behind some frilly trees.

It was a tight green leather outfit around his shoulders and chest. The gold lacing, the pointed shoes and the weird design. Damn.

"These outfits were tacky but disguises." Naruto sighed.

Lee looked at the four people lying unconscious. "Is that why we knocked out these people?" Lee asked.

"Orochimaru got some damn bad tastes but yeah. They also left this pot." Naruto nodded.

Lee shifted, playing with the weird pocket on his left pec. Naruto took a breath, preparing for Lee's lecture against knocking out the innocent people. The next moment, Lee was happy, blissful with the green colour of their outfits.

"Nice thinking. I love this colour! It is the best get up. Up top," Lee held up a hand.

Gaara's hunched form, distant eyes and stony expression mildly changed when Lee began high-fiving the Naruto. Unhappy to leave his gourd of sand, Gaara was in a piss poor mood.

Gaara was sour-faced and glared at Naruto whenever _anyone_ got too close to Lee. It was weird. He was so crazy possessive of Lee. Lee was some butterfly, the dude talked to anyone and everyone. He was open and Gaara didn't like this.

"I don't want to go inside. I forbid wearing this revealing outfit!" Sister Ino hissed from behind a trimmed, manicured tree.

"Oh hell, Maid, nothing's wrong with yours. You have the least material." Naruto rolled his eyes.

Couldn't Maid stop being so finicky and just go along with the plan? He wondered how the shy Hinata was handling wearing one of those short outfits.

"That's exactly the problem, blockhead! I am walking on shallow ground! What if God sees me in this? I can't look like this!" she mumbled miserably into the shirt. Sister Ino wasn't having any of it. "All these outfits smell like gravy!"

"It's important. We have to smell like this."

"Naruto!" she protested. "It's disgraceful. What if wolves come out to eat us!"

"Just do it. We have to at least have a girl who could check the bathrooms and kitchens and different places. Do you want Hi-chan to be completely abandoned? Those men have probably tried something by now. It's our responsibility to keep her safe." Naruto lectured.

"I don't want her in danger but this outfit isn't doing favours. And now I'll have the same troubles," she pointed out.

"I'll keep you close, too. Just shut up and put it on. We'll get a cloak for you sooner or later." Naruto said dismissively. "Suck it up."

Sister Ino sighed, thinking over the options. "Close, huh?" she repeated to herself. "Fine. But I can't change in front of you."

"Fine, Gaara, keep watch. I'll look for entrances where we can fit in." Naruto said. "Bushy Brows, come with me. We'll solidify the plan. I need your brains."

Naruto kept on seeing these waiters coming from the gazebo past the main entrance every seven minutes. They were refilling bowls— no pots, like the one the waitress had.

Lee beamed. "I am happy to be useful, Naruto." He saluted enthusiastically. "Gaara, we are hastily returning soon. Shield Lady of Cloth with your life while she changes cloth. Hm. Would they be cousi—"

Gaara glared. Sister Ino made an inhuman squeak. "Oh no! I am not changing in front of Red Gaara. He wouldn't mind if _I_ died, why would he care to shield me?"

"We don't got the time for this fooling around! Maid, he won't look. Are you up for it, Gaara?" Naruto asked, unexpectedly positive.

Surprisingly, Gaara answered, voice all low and gravelly. "Honestly, I would burn my eyes out and rub them in the sand. For eternity."

Sister Ino was appalled, too scared to move or _scream_ and Naruto scratched his chin. So. That's a fat no on that plan _._

Even though Sister Ino was insufferable, Naruto didn't actively try to make her miserable. And he didn't promise to keep her safe. It just seemed inhumane to let Gaara stay with her. He was probably going to attack if Lee didn't keep him at bay.

Tough time for Lee It must be hard to be another grown man's moral compass. Since Gaara seemed to be ruled by primal murderous instincts. It's a miracle that he and Gaara get _along_ by some odd allowance on the redhead's part. Gaara didn't like Sister Ino.

Lee and Naruto watched Gaara awkwardly for a few moments, coming to a small worldless agreement. So. Change of plans.

"Bushy Brows, you've got my trust. Don't peek." Naruto clapped Lee's shoulder. "I'm countin' on ya."

Lee laughed, worried urgency in his chuckles. "Ha, ha. A gentleman never peeks. Anyone noble respects one's wishes." Lee nodded but didn't salute. "Even if the subject is quite beautiful."

Oh. That's a new development. "I didn't know you swung both ways," Naruto said, looking at Sister Ino. "You okay with th-"

"I only swing to Gaara. _Gaara!_ " Lee waved his arms, tender feelings in his eyes melting all the snow and ice Gaara had. "My attractions could never extend to her. I mean _women_. Don't hit me," he shrunk away from Sister Ino. He looked casting light on her pretty face. "You are pretty enchanting."

"Course, Bushy Brows." Sister Ino was soothed by his comments. "Your personality is enchanting. Your eyebrows still need work. Don't look."

"Never, I will protect you as a noble savage!" Lee smiled at her and Sister Ino flinched when Gaara glared at her.

Was she that vain? Did she need the approval of anyone at all? Least of all a guy who was into dudes? Both Lee and Naruto exchanged glances with the mutual agreement that Sister Ino was much too crazy. It's best to just leave her alone.

Naruto looked around, to count the eyes that stared. They drew attention. All of them with loud eccentric voices and Gaara' stoic terrifying chakra. They were an odd bunch. That didn't stop Naruto from still pushing that chance to try and get Hi-chan back. They were moving too slow. He couldn't just _lose_ her.

"Hurry up, Maid. We're gonna leave her in such a bad state. You don't know what's gonna happen if we don't swoop in."

"I know," Sister Ino snapped. "Have patience!"

Naruto groaned. Gaara looked at Naruto speculatively with daggers. Naruto was on guard. What got him so angry?

Sister Ino looked at Lee with robin-blue eyes. "You know, you better be a good umbrella. Do not let Naruto see an inch of me! I don't want to see him before my wedding date. If he sees, at least end me well. Okay?"

Lee scratched the back of his head. "Alright."

Naruto felt quite awkward. She acted like there was going to be a wedding. He didn't think he'd marry anything except for ramen. Would the Capital let him? She did know that he didn't like her that much…

"Er, guys, I'm gonna stand over there," Naruto said, pointing.

Gaara stopped in front of Naruto. Usually, they stayed out of each other's ways. He stayed around Lee, paid for stuff while Sister Ino hung off of Naruto. It worked. They had a Naruto tried shuffling past Gaara but Gaara let out a low growl. Argh, what the hell?

"Ooi! What's up, man?" Naruto asked, quite unsure. He didn't know what to do.

Gaara didn't want to fight and he wasn't moving, either. Naruto tried to keep it all in line but now they were falling behind. Now Gaara was pulling this bullshit. He stared, intense and unwavering. He didn't look that infallible…

The way he concentrated, swiping his eyes between Naruto and Lee was… almost pleading. Was he asking for something? Gaara has yet to say more than twenty words and the way he stared made Naruto sure he wanted to say _more._

"What—" Naruto started, then looked.

Gaara was murderous, unemotional, rude and blunt but he was still a man with eyes. He knew how beautiful Sister Ino was. She could charm men to giving them their lives because of one flick of her hair. He was wary of the silky woman.

Naruto leaned in, slowly, not to startle the guy. He was perceptive, though he kept his eagle-like stare on Sister Ino. He still flinched, a deep frown on his face.

"Dude, she's not gonna steal him away," Naruto said, certainly.

"Keep here. Watch her," he ordered.

" _Why_?" Naruto tilted his head. "Why d'you want that?"

Gaara stared at Naruto as if his existence offended him. "She's yours, isn't she?"

What? He wasn't hers and vice versa. He wanted to call Gaara for the stupid shit he said but this was a stretch. Even if Sister Ino loved everything Naruto did and practically looked at him like he was God… didn't mean the feeling was reciprocated.

"I dunno man. She's good with Lee—"

Gaara reacts explosively. "Lee's mine," he emphasized. "She's pretty. Too _much_."

If Gaara was willing to admit his worries, Naruto could try to bond with the guy. And if he left, Lee would give the two trouble and act rash without him to keep her in check. With the way Gaara was desperate, Sister Ino was causally shrieking at Lee for not hiding her properly, Naruto gave in.

"Fine, I'll stay here to stop Sister Ino from doing anything." Naruto groaned.

Gaara looked pleased he nodded his head to Naruto. He turned away, shamelessly watching Lee if he peeked at Sister Ino. Despite him being closed off and sort of demanding, standing two feet away, Naruto felt as if something progressed between the two.

Aw, Naruto cooed. Gaara was gonna be his friend. And Naruto would win him over in one way or another. After she calmed down and she was just preening herself, as Lee said, Naruto got impatient.

"Maid…" Naruto whispered. "Hurry it up, we gotta-" he stopped.

With just an image, a picture, a glance, he couldn't remember feeling this deepening of his gutted stomach.

When Sister Ino appeared, the air got punched out of his lungs. He's never seen Sister Ino in any other colour than black. Not that this was different or bad, it was just _new._

This attraction had a tinge of anger and guilt. Maid was Maid, a childhood bully who occasionally tormented him for dinner in exchange for ramen bowls.

Sister Ino was in a frilly skirt, legs moonlit and corset accentuating her plush and round boobs. The outfit was dark, sensual with little left to the imagination. All her curves, forget Forge Village, might have been the greatest invention ever made.

He didn't know that beauty was deep and had thousands of layers that he could live in. He's seen a layer and he wasn't… hating it? Her cheeks were red and she avoided looking into his eyes but she knew he was impressed. Or whatever this was.

"What? You're staring?" Sister Ino gasped. "I've surpassed a barrier!"

"Barrier? Huh? You're creepin' everyone out." Naruto said, looking at her face again. "Creep."

"Oh, Naruto, stop looking or all your hormones will catch fire," Sister Ino smiled. " _Fire_." she laughed.

"Pfft. I wasn't looking. You look _different._ " he hissed. Why was it so hot?

After looking away, reminding himself that this was the girl who called him stupid three times a minute at a minimum. He could breathe again. Weird.

Sister Ino's smile faltered. "Different bad?" she looked at herself self-consciously.

"I dunno." Naruto shrugged, looking away since it was hard to focus on her face. "Gaara was nervous you'd steal Lee."

"Ha! As if. Love is when two people uglier than pigs are worried that someone will steal the one they love." Sister Ino looked at Naruto, smiling brightly. "You know, you're handsome today, too. God created you more beautifully than a sunset."

Wow. She could say that with a straight face with total confidence? What the hell? He jumped back, cheeks burned like the sun. It's scorching. And she blinked, distracted by his spasming reaction.

Naruto flailed his arms, planting distance between them. "Why'd you say t-that? You're not even embarrassed? Damn."

"Well, no. Why would I be embarrassed? It's the truth." Sister Ino shrugged, unapologetically. "I mean, you laugh so much now I hear it in my dreams."

And Naruto overheated. His whole body cooked, vibrating with this new energy. How did she walk like a miracle, voice smarting through him?

"Don't say things like that, springing it up on me!" he shouted. Sister Ino still audaciously watched Naruto with merriment. "Oi! Stop staring."

She grinned mischievously. "It's my turn to creep you out." Sister Ino turned away. "Get over yourself. Let's go save Hi-chan."

That's the only thing he could respond to without burning up. "Ditto."

Now they had to get a map since these guards didn't have one. These damn guards knew the outlay of the huge house. Now Naruto's bunch had to sense the smoke from this distance. Wherever the kitchen was, there should be smoke. That's what Jiraiya said.

Naruto clapped his hands. "You all, we'll be getting a pot of gravy and that'll be our key to infiltrating this place. That pot." Naruto gestured to the pot with the beefy smell and residue.

Sister Ino shook her head. "Why? Can't we go in with any task? We should just go in, do what we can then get out. No bigger act or scene."

"Have you never planned a prank? The best thing to do before infiltrating and learning the schedules, trap doors and people you work with. We're short on time, so we have to snare someone _or_ go looking ourselves." Naruto asked, taunting Sister Ino. "You see how that one servant keeps on rounding the back, getting cases and cases of gravy?"

They all nodded, noticing waiters milling about with tremendous pots.

"Yeah. Dwarves are famous for using gravy, starchy bases for their soups. They even put in in ramen the last time I was here. Gross. You could taste the fish, thick broth and the onions! Weird stuff, guys. I'd never give you 'em, you'd die! I would have preferred a flavourful broth with a fattier base that still tasted good. They use fat ramens, cause their hands are so big and their mouths are so—"

"On topic. Noodles and ramen are interesting but you should not distract yourself from the plan." Lee said, thumping Naruto on the shoulder. "Tell me all about this later."

Naruto's eyes gleamed. Lee was awesome! No one cared about how he felt about ramen! "But you should know that the gravy has some vegetables! Leeks are a favourite!-"

Sister Ino sighed. "I'll cook some flavourful broth with a thousand leeks if you just continue with your plan!" Sister Ino shrieked.

"You guys are _professional buzzkills._ " Naruto moaned, shoving aside his appetite for ramen. "Hi-chan should be in the kitchen. We just need to pose as servants bringing a round of gravy in those big pots. We currently have one. I'll just say that you are all new and I'll dish out my knowledge and you guys will stand there _doing_ nothing. Don't talk, don't say anything."

"That's rich. Coming from a guy like you." Sister Ino deadpanned.

"You're not so quiet, either. People could hear you from miles away."

"Oh yeah, who do you think needs to yell that loudly since nothing gets through your thick head!"

"Yeah right! No one asked you to babysit me!"

"You keep on messing around. Someone has to care." Sister Ino yelled. "You stay alone. You do your own thing and it usually ends in disaster."

"Don't do it. I don't need your guidance. When I make a decision, I need no more discussion. Have you met me?"

Sister Ino's eyes opened. "Yeah, I have. You just talk too much but I'm here, for you, you know that—"

"I'm serious, Maid." Naruto hissed. The mood got much more melancholy. "Hell yeah, I am a blabbermouth but this might cost you your tongue. I didn't want to bring you guys anyway."

Cuffing his arm, Sister Ino tsked. "I'd never let you come yourself. Bushy Brows wanted the adventure and Red Gaara was attached to Bushy Brows." Sister Ino clicked her tongue. "And I wanted to shop with Hinata-sama."

"Once we get the gravy, we dump it out and take Hi-chan back home. In and out. No funny business." he declared. "If anything happens, Sister Ino is with me, all times. Gaara, use your sand to blind people and Lee, just, just do what you think is best. You got them good instincts."

They all nodded, except for Gaara. It was solidified. Sister Ino nudged his shoulder. "You'll be safe."

"Why?"

"I asked God to watch over you. If you fall, fall into my heart." she winked.

Naruto ignored her. "Let's go." he told Sister Ino. She stuck by him, for some reason. For some odd ass reason.

When they snuck in, naruto decided that _maybe_ being a king would make him have too much space.

Naruto's never been inside of such an enormous house. Literally. The dwarves were on average about three or four feet taller than humans. So, everything was supersized. Their cows were huge and their spoons could catch tennis balls.

He's grown up empty-handed and destitute. He liked being poor, it meant he got to steal a lot and be on his own. The meals sucked. The nuns believed in mushy foods like mashed potatoes, peas, rice and boring stuff like unsalted chicken. The wine was fun to steal and throw into the ponds.

But having no clothes, always being hungry, the house falling apart and living barefoot for a lot of the time never helped him healthily grow at all.

Jiraiya took note of how _small_ he was compared to the other teens his age. He'll grow. He had to. Jiraiya could have taken care of Naruto but he felt guilty for never crossing that line into being a father figure instead of just a part-time chakra mentor.

Man, Jiraiya wasn't fit to be a parent _anyway_. He went to brothels, composed porn, got arrested a lot and went off to fight wars. He also breathed in manors like these.

Naruto felt like he was in this supernova of champagne, nice aerial ceilings and personalities in uniform.

Naruto was around when Mayor Atumo, a nice handsome guy, gave the speech about alliances and how Blue Iron water was the death upon his village. Even though he was praising Orochimaru, a devious, possessive bastard, the two _got along_ and they both wanted the best for their guilds and people.

It was a nice speech but such a dangerous atmosphere. Jiraiya could have arrested the mayor for having such strong anti-empire feelings. Naruto didn't _know_ that the Empire enslaved the dwarves. The media and Jiraiya made it seem like everything was legal and fine and mellow.

But it wasn't. _Was Jiraiya apart of it_?

Jiraiya served the king _and_ was pretty loaded. Was that why Naruto got special service every time Jiraya and he entered Forge Village? They were beating the dwarves into submission.

With those thoughts in mind, the team descended further into the deeper levels of the house. These parts had a certain musk in the air filled with history. The humidity distracted one from the shelves and shelves of wine. Their colourful bottles arranged by taste and age. The bamboo barrels lining the floor with flaps made their purpose obvious.

Naruto preferred soy sauce to wine but was disappointed that they had to come here with no _results._

When they asked for "a small girl with pretty eyes and dark navy hair," to the kitchen staff, they said she was sent off to get wine or something. With Sister Ino's vivacious flirting, they managed to get a map of the house.

Now, they were near the cellar, that was _empty_ of people and Hinata. The arched columns revealed none of his friends.

They were all disappointed. Gaara was uncomfortable. Sister Ino, too. Sister Ino held onto Naruto's arm, stepping on his heels.

Sister Ino was more clingy when startled. She also didn't like alcohol. Naruto didn't either. _Jiraiya_ humiliated himself too much, words lapsed and uncareful. The floozy women he accompanied also dropped liquor in his hair. He knew his hair couldn't be brushed but did it need to have gross sake?

Lee held the iron pot close to his chest, totally sickened. "Why aren't they full yet? This is a lot of gravy."

"See, Bushy Brows, they shouldn't eat so much since they eat too much bullshit. All these people are keeping Hi-chan hostage." Naruto retorted.

"Hostage?" Lee frowned, faintly vengeful. "We must save her."

Naruto nodded. They will. With the fixed humidity making their cheeks flushed and the map getting damp, Naruto wanted to save her soon. And _how_ the hell should a guy have a room tucked away in a wine cellar? All the mould and cold floors don't matter to him? Man, Mayor Atumo was far too rich. Naruto was jealous.

"That's the twelfth room we've passed." Sister Ino said, somehow reading his thoughts. "What does he do with _all_ of them?"

"Man. It must be a fucking part every day." Naruto commented.

Lee nodded. "Big festivals are amazing. I love celebrating with others!" Lee commented. Gaara gave Lee a knowing look. "I shall not force you into any parties if you're not comfortable."

Gaara's dark and dreary countenance changed by a few degrees. Now it was just dreary. They communicate so quietly. Naruto never really got along with anyone that well for them to read his mind and _not be appalled._ Maybe it wasn't a matter of them being two guys but just having one love.

Sister Ino squeezed his arm to get his attention. "This house has two living rooms. And like six common areas!" she looked at Naruto slyly. "You will give me two living rooms, right?"

"What? No!"

Sister Ino puffed out her cheeks. "There are enough rooms for your dream. If you're a king then isn't that reasonable. A whole castle of our subjects and ah, the throne has to be gold! Wow!"

Naruto paled. "Then I don't wanna be king," Naruto promised. "I _won't_."

"King Naruto _will_ give me two living rooms! Two. Isn't that quite right?" Sister Ino insisted.

"Oi! Stop calling me that." Naruto hissed.

"King. King! _King_! I'll call the king what he is." Sister Ino yelled, voice echoing.

Lee watched them with horror on his face. "Guys, you have a lifetime to argue about this. Why focus on it _now_?"

Naruto gaped at Lee. "What the hell do you mean _a lifetime_?"

Gaara and Naruto stiffened. They locked eyes. Someone was coming. Lee moved in front of Gaara's scowl and stirring eyes. Sister Ino got still then hurriedly scuffled behind Naruto as two large dwarves thundered down the steps.

"What do we do?" Sister Ino gasped, holding him tight.

"Hide!" Naruto hissed.

There were many, many barrels and large shelves. The shadows could support them. Naruto pressed Sister Ino to his chest and cradled her behind a barrel. It was a tight squeeze and being this close to the noxious fumes of grape wine made his head dizzy.

Sister Ino buried her face in the crook of his neck, trembling with fear. Now wasn't the time to think about it but her skin was so warm and the large plumps of flesh pressing to his chest felt _phenomenal._ To see them was great but to have it pressed against him was sending blood south.

Did Hi-chan's boobs feel this wa— No. She was an Uzumaki, not a love interest. But fuck, she must be soft everywhere.

Naruto pushed away his thoughts to listen carefully. He could tell Gaara and Lee were doing the same. The larger dwarves were jolly, uncaring about their voices bouncing off the walls.

"Man. Mayor Atumo's convention was awesome. Say, pretty women, the alcohol was good and now we got a whole shipment of Blue Iron Water. Didn't know Orochimaru would be paying our leader in Blue Iron Water."

"Yeah. How'd he get so many? Besides, he keeps his Blue Iron Water with the wine. How practical is that?"

The two dwarves laughed. "In the Apocalypse, the dwarves will dominate over those puny humans who have enslaved us. We got a village worth of Blue Iron Water."

"The wheels have to be oiled. Those shelves are damn sturdy. Well, us dwarves made it. Blacksmith Hagane did make it so we could ship them off to a more secure location."

"With the approaching Apocalypse, we're damn lucky there is an influx of smuggled product. Besides, we didn't think his stock would be that big."

"The more the merrier. My family is getting about three dozen. So it doesn't matter how big his stock gets."

"Cheeky bastard."

The two dwarves laughed and laughed as their steps recapitulated. All four of them breathed about a minute after they were gone. If Mayor Atumo is _storing_ a village worth of Blue Iron Water, where would he hide them? Naruto observed the map he carried. Where would he have space? And Mayor Atumo betrayed his people by weaponizing Blue Iron Water. _Crap._

"Red Gaara, how did you get the Blue Iron Water?" Sister Ino gaped at Gaara, finally breaking the silence.

Gaara stared at her impassively. "I stole it from some dwarves with crates. They might have been those guys." Gaara said.

"You didn't kill anyone?" she gasped.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "For potions? I have _standards_. Don't you have that where you come from?"

"Where I come from is none of your business!"

"You're depriving them of an idiot."

Sister Ino retorted something and Naruto overlooked their bickering as Lee crouched down staring at a stain of blood. It was a small amount but steadily staining the concrete floor in a line. Why was there blood? Lee was just as surprised as Naruto and Sister Ino wouldn't have the emotional capacity to make anyone bleed. So, it was _Gaara_.

Naruto peered at Gaara, who openly ignored the red-faced Sister Ino. "What did you do?"

Gaara didn't seem affronted by how steely and curious Naruto's voice was. He took it in stride. "I made a blood trail by stabbing one of the dwarves on the heel. They didn't feel it." he amended.

"Ah! You're warmin' up to us. Just a matter of time before you're joining our conversations!" Naruto simpered at Gaara. "Good idea, man. Now we gotta follow the path."

Gaara was confused at how Naruto beamed at him but followed nonetheless. The path they followed was eerie and dank. The two dwarves didn't realize they left a trail and the teens weren't sure if they would _find_ anything.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder _why_ Gaara opted to help them out. He hated the lot of them and also didn't _mind coming_ along.

All sand was partly made of glass, after all. That was quite clever and quick thinking. It was terrifying at the same time since the dwarves didn't feel it but they bled enough to leave a trace.

Now they could investigate where all the Blue Iron Water was hidden. Was Mayor Atumo... a complete fraud? Was he tricking an entire civilization? The answer was clear as they opened a set of double doors that were dark gray colours. The dwarves weren't smart enough to close the door. That was convenient. Even Sister Ino was unimpressed.

Even so, it was hard to contain his utter shock at how _completely_ hidden his warehouse filled with the sparkling, azure substance shining in their bottles. The whole area smelled of raw, charged electricity and stale air. Sister Ino gasped, eyes roving over the thousands of bottles. There were so many _and_ surely this was ready to be shipped off. The boxes lining the cavernous, automated area was waiting for someone to feed them.

When they got closer, the bottles were much more radiant. "Well, shit." Naruto murmured.

He saw his distorted image while looking in the glass. His face revealed the strange and shrewd way people lied. Now they knew why _Mayor Atumo_ confiscates the vials. He's keeping them for himself. There was no mystery left and this was bad news.

Lee leaned closer, running to the metal shelves. "Are these real?"

"Don't touch 'em," Naruto warned. Lee retracted a hand, wonderment in his gaze.

Sister Ino shook her head. "We have to tell someone about this. This is so wrong. I thought Mayor Atumo didn't have _any_ of those sinful actions! I thought he threw all the bottles away!" she whispered.

"Well, Maid, the world is hopelessly rotten at the moment. I'm gonna fix it but we came here for Hi-chan. Let's get out and do something about this _later_." Naruto said lowly. Damn, he hated when people turned out rotten.

"But those guards said he was moving the location! We have to at least tell the public." Sister Ino told him. "They're being tricked. He might even _do_ something worse."

"We're leaving in a little while, but for now we're resting in Forge Village. My uncle will visit here and that'll help catch them." Naruto told the group. "Our priority is Hi-chan, then this and whatever. We'll figure this out, dattebayo, and be reasonable."

He had to tell Jiraiya, somehow, someway to _fix_ this. Sister Ino nodded. "Okay. I trust you, King."

Naruto frowned at her. "Not now."

She smiled mysteriously. "Okay," Pause. " _King._ "

Lee narrowed his eyes. "How exactly would _he_ move _all_ of this?" he asked, still inquiring.

Naruto, along with everyone else, had no damn clue.

"We have to get out of here. The dwarves are going to be finished soon." Naruto said.

Lee nodded. "Okay!"

Then, they heard a loud breaking sound.

Lee flinched, bumping into Gaara who was a hair away. Gaara's sand reacted immediately, going awry as this string of death trying to shield his partner. Sister Ino was _afraid_. She recognized how traumatizing his sand was as she scrambled behind Naruto. All the chaos was overshadowed by the vials that were falling because of Lee's and Sister Ino's jerky movements. Naruto couldn't catch them in time.

"Hey! What is that noise?!" A dwarf demanded.

 _Shit._ They all interchanged looks as the footsteps got closer and more powerful. Naruto had to _stop_ them from coming closer. Reacting stupidly, Naruto summoned a clone. "Go to the other side-" he told his clone. "Push it over. Just one shelf needs to be tipped so they freak out. A distraction."

"Naruto, man, we shouldn't-"

"Just shut up and _do_ it."

He pushed the first large shelf with his other half doing the same about five or six meters away. With one large heave, Naruto shoved the shelf. okay. _One's down, let's go_ , Naruto told himself, not prepared for what was next. His companions gasped as they saw the domino effect of all the shrieking glass, the wave of wasted potion and the clanking of unfortunate metal. All the shelves were tipping onto the other and it was beautiful.

There was a beautiful ocean wave. It would be deafeningly beautiful if not for how tumultuous it was. Even though they were underground, this chaos was simply too rambunctious. They were shielded by Gaara's sand. Naruto clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto forgot to thank himself. Ah. he'll do that later.

Naruto looked at his friends covering their mouths. Sister Ino looked at her pale legs with the magical substance. The dwarves were panicking as they screeched. Their feet were submerged in a two feet pool of Blue Iron Water and glass.

"King, what did you do?!" Sister Ino whispered, both hands in her blond locks. "We're going _to die_. What happened to be reasonable and _not_ moving fast?!"

Gaara looked solemnly amused while Lee laughed. "I knew you guys were _interesting_!" he slapped his knee.

"Shut up! We're going to go to prison _and_ then we'll be hung! Who knows what they'll do to us in prison. The Capital is ruthless!" Sister Ino jabbed a hand to his chest. "Do you not understand anything?!"

"We gotta go." He grabbed Sister Ino's hand and sprinted in the other direction. "We have to find _Hi-chan_ like now. No one will know that it's us."

They just had to leave. Like now.

Suddenly, a loud aching voice reported the worst words in history. "Mayor Atumo, we've got a problem in the warehouse. Four brats have broken every single glass vial. Two are blondes, one has large eyebrows and the other has green hair."

Then they turned, aghast. Fuck.

Gaara's sand hitting the intercom the first dwarf reported through. This place must be wired. There should be cameras _somewhere._

Where did he _hold_ all this sand, anyway? Then, Naruto saw samples of mud floating away. Did Gaara have a sand barrier or second skin of sand?

It didn't matter, the moment the alarm went off the door was closing and howling alarms were set off. Admittedly, that could have gone _way_ better.

* * *

-End Chapter-

 **A/N- Ovidae, here. This chapter was a doozy. And Naruto's POV was thrown in 'cause I love me a rambunctious king of mischief. Anyhooow, I will be updating two chapters per month but this one was over 13k words long, I couldn't find a way to split it without people getting confused. But #love Naruto and Ino's be a long ass story but I've got about two more chapters before we meet shika. :)**


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